Shifting Tides
by Melibells
Summary: Actions are like the ocean's tides. They are at times steady and other times fickle. A final decision is all it took to shift the tides of fate. How will this affect Middle Earth? And what will become of Jillian as she is swept up in its midst? LegolasOC *TEMPORARY HIATUS- Story under construction ;) *
1. Chapter 1

My first fanfic! *is slightly nervous in posting it* Man, it's like I'm jumping right into frigid water! Well, hope it is liked. Please, readers out there, let me know what you think=)

Oh...disclaimer thingy: I don't own anything having to do with LOTR, much to my chagrin, this fic is merely done as a method of pacifying my unrelenting obsession ^_^

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Black sunken eyes widened disbelievingly at the chaos they viewed below. Everything that he had been working towards, everything he had built; his industry, his army, and by association, his power, was being swept away by the very force he had used as fuel for his budding dominion. He had taken advantage of Nature's plentitude as an abundant source of energy, and now before his very eyes, it uncoiled with resounding force to exact its metaphoric revenge. His thoughts darted to and fro within his mind, much the same as his eyes, as they searched for the source of this crippling mayhem. But he had to wait anxiously for the waters that were extinguishing the fires for which his influence had grown so dependent upon, to cease their tumultuous retaliations. Only then could he determine who or what had broken the dam that held back the river. Only when the frothy turbulence finally abated as the same said waters then drained and filled the wounds that scarred the earth, was he able to see the responsible party.

Ents. They had for so long, abandoned nearly all associations with the other beings and races of Middle Earth and had secluded themselves to the oppressive core of Fangorn Forest. Why then, had they come out? They had decided long before that the transpirations that occurred outside their forest haven meant little to them. What then had driven them to come forth now and lay siege to the culminating efforts of his mounting power?

He needed answers. And so with a final glare at the decimated panorama before him, accompanied by a coordinating snarl, he shoved himself forcefully away from the overlooking balustrade and melted into the dark depths of Orthanc to seek council from a precious and terrifying stone. It was with dangerous purposefulness that he moved through the dim, cold stoned corridors to the chamber that held the palantir. It would show him. It would show him what had dealt this crippling blow upon his dedicated and potent efforts. When he finally reached the chamber, he approached the covered stone with such urgency that he could feel its influence strengthen as the distance between it and he lessened. And as he removed the square cloth that concealed the stone, he did not even need to persuade it to show him what he wanted to see, for the minute his hand descended upon its smooth polished surface the image of two sandy haired Halflings appeared with absolute clarity in his mind's eye.

Hobbits! They were what brought down all that he had worked for and all he had achieved. Simple Shire-folk! His nostrils flared with his mounting anger. He could not accept that the two unassuming creatures were the masterminds behind his unanticipated downfall. His denial burned within him, heating to a boil of rage that forced his knuckles to whiten as his hold on the stone grew more forcible. And just as his grip had strengthened, so had the stone's effect over him. It began casting images into his mind. Images of things to come. Images to reinforce in his thoughts his own failure.

It showed him the toll that the loss of his army and industry had for the armies of Mordor, for now the men of Rohan we're uninhibited to rise to the aid of Gondor. It showed him how the blasted fellowship would prevail and that the one darker haired hobbit would inevitably cast the One Ring into the fire of Mt. Doom. And amongst these images that it showed him, it also showed him one that stood out most clearly. His own demise; death by betrayal, such an unbefitting end for someone such as he.

He violently released the stone and staggered back as if it had burned him. And for all intents and purposes it had, but not physically, for the skin of his palm was unmarred, but his mind was seared by the unwarranted images the palantir had cast upon him. He could feel the blood pulsing heavily in his head. It could not be. But the stone does not lie. In fact, it only shows the truth and in this case, the truth was far more dreadful than any deception it could have shown him.

After several minutes of resounding silence, his mind came to the conclusion that even if he could not escape the fate that the stone had shown him that he would undoubtedly receive, he would not go down passively. No, he would fight to retain whatever amount of control of his fate he could. And with that he began calculating and planning. For whatever he was to do, he needed to do it quickly to ensure that it be done successfully and completely before his fate comes to claim him.

His thoughts churned within his mind as he made his way to his personal chamber. He knew that the end of his present physical form was nearing, thanks to the knowledge imparted upon him by the prophetic orb. But that did not mean that it would also signify an end for the essence that animates his body. After all, did not Sauron endure beyond the loss of his physical shell? This very notion held promise for him. He would submit for now, for there was little he could do with what had been destroyed. But he would endure as well, and when the time was right he would show the same courtesy to those responsible for his undoing. And then some. But he was not satisfied to merely carry on as an essence of his former self, for having a physical form had its advantages. Not only was it more advantageous for purposes of mobility but the race of men is generally more amenable to someone they can see.

His plan was beginning to solidify in his mind as he entered his chambers. He consulted his many writings and even those of questionable origin that he was able to come in possession of, and after many hours of deliberation, careful consideration, and a fair amount of dark power alongside a foreboding and determined glint in his black eyes, Saruman set his scheme in motion.

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One thing that Jillian really could not stand was how stupid people became once they were forced to navigate the many roads, on-ramps, and off-ramps that were supposed to take them to their appropriate terminals. Air travel was, for its revolutionary transformation of the transportation industry, a very necessary aspect of modern day life. But you would think that the city planners, engineers, and architects who had built this, albeit rather nice airport, would have spent a little more time and thought into planning its surrounding highways and byways.

She had already had to take evasive action on more than one occasion as she circled the arriving flights lanes to avoid being chastised by airport security for lingering to long along the pickup lanes that were situated alongside baggage claim.

_ Yeah, yeah, I see you…_ she thought with annoyance as one particularly harried security officer waved emphatically for her to move along… _But I can't go very far if the person in front of me…will…not…move! _The last three syllables that sounded in her mind were echoed by her simultaneous punches to her cars horn.

The reason she had subjected herself to the torturous navigations of airport traffic was because the museum that she worked for had procured a particularly intriguing oil painting, and unfortunately the artist could not be absolutely determined. So, under her director's most adamant pleas, she had contacted a highly specialized expert, the kind that had a multitude of educational and professional accolades. The painting itself was likely a renaissance piece, yet despite the growing popularity among artists of the time to actually 'sign' their work, this one had no such designation. As of now, there were a number of artists that the painting could be attributed to. That being as it was, her director had insisted that the creator of the painting be determined. After all, certain artists' names were accompanied by dollar signs and a considerable amount of zeros.

As she was coming to the end of her latest circuit around the arriving flights loading area, she nearly missed her now waiting passenger. What caught her eye was a legal pad with her name, Miss Jillian Pearce, written in large black letters, most likely scribed using a black sharpie marker. The person holding the pad was a man, perhaps in his late forties or early fifties. He had grayish white hairs peppering his darker brown clean cropped style. He wore glasses and a sweater vest…the stereotypical professor type. She pulled her car over as close as she could to where he stood, managing to somehow park her car halfway between an excessively huge SUV and a waiting taxi. Ignoring the aggravated look the taxi driver gave her, for she would be out of his way in a few minutes, she addressed the man with the legal pad.

"Professor Carrington?"

At the sound of her voice his attention focused on her and he gave her a warm smile, before replying in a moderately thick British accent,

"Ah! You must be Miss Pearce. It is finally good to be able to see the person behind the e-mail correspondence."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you too, thank you so much for taking the time to help us with our mystery." Jillian said as she offered him a customary greeting of a handshake. To which he accepted her gesture with a firm grip.

"Yes, I am glad to help. I had heard of its recent acquisition. You can imagine, considering my area of expertise, that it was very frustrating to learn that the painting's identity is indiscernible as of yet."

"Well I sure hope it doesn't frustrate you when you see it, because it has given me more headaches than I care to have." She joked as she helped him with his suitcases, pushing the button on her key chain's remote so that it would release the trunk's lock.

He laughed good naturedly as he made his way to the driver's side of the car, "I will endeavor to not allow it to conquer me."

Hi laugh was met with an amused one of her own, "Um, Professor? I don't think we'll get very far if you sit on that side."

"Ah! I forget you Americans drive on the wrong side!"

She mocked an affronted expression, "What do you mean the wrong side? We drive on the right side."

"So it is we Europeans who drive on the wrong side, then?" he challenged good naturedly.

"No, I never said that… you Europeans drive on the left."

He laughed at her joke, and made his way to the appropriate side that accommodates passengers. Once they were situated in the correct seats, Jillian carefully extracted her vehicle from its confined position between the SUV and cab… _So much for three point turns…_ she inwardly mused as the number of turns multiplied far beyond what the maneuver called for. When she finally managed to get free, she followed the many painted arrows along the recently repaved roadway that lead to the airports' eventual exit.

It was as she accelerated onto the merging ramp that connected the airport to the interstate that she noticed her passenger's white knuckled apprehension as the ramps merge lane narrowed, forcing her to maneuver the vehicle into the rapidly moving, dense, and hectic traffic. She also noticed his expression was slightly queasy as he stated with an unsteady voice,

"Your roads are like roller-coasters, I never much cared for them…"

She laughed, "Really? They never bothered me."

She noticed how he practically braced for impact as she skillfully shifted lanes, "We only have about ten minutes to the exit, maybe even less. Then we'll be on city roads."

"Good…"

Jillian grinned as she noted that even with her reassurance Professor Carrington did not seem convinced.

* * *

True to her word, they reached the exit in question within the amount of time that she had predicted even with the small back-up that was the result of nearly every other driver on the road coming to a near stop in order to stare at a stalled out pick-up truck that had been moved to the left shoulder of the road.

Once Jillian had blended into the city traffic going in the direction of the museum, she perceived from the corner of her eye that the professor was considerably more relaxed now that they were off the interstate. Not that she could blame him; traffic in and around Chicago was pretty hellacious.

The remainder of the car ride was pretty quiet as the professor took to taking in the sights with an occasional question or two, to which Jillian would answer to the best of her ability for she was fairly new to the city herself; only having lived there for just shy of a year.

Her newness to the city itself was attributed to the job offer she received from the museum. She had been quite surprised to have received a very promising internship with one of the city's top museums. After all, she was a fairly recent graduate. Yet when she flew up to Chicago from Florida to interview with the director of Medieval Acquisitions, she had apparently showed promise that they had not yet come across. That or they didn't have many candidates to choose from considering the particular field of interest. She liked to think that it was the former that had initially won her the opportunity.

She was brought out of her musings upon her approach to the museum's employee parking lot. Once she had parked in her reserved space, which she loved having it reserved just for her even if it was a few rows further back from the premium spaces allotted for museum directors and officials, she then lead the professor to the security station just outside the employee entrance so that he could obtain a temporary clearance badge.

After leaving the security station, she led him through the newly renovated and rather pristine hallways of the contemporary art vaults towards the central portion of the museum where the current exhibitions were showcased. The only bad thing about the location of the employee parking lot was that it was located on the opposite wing of the museum to hers. She apologized to Professor Carrington for the long walk, to which he said that it was nothing to be concerned about and that his legs were relieved to be stretched after the nine to ten hours in which they had been cramped in a tiny plane seat.

She led him towards the wing that housed antiquities and classical art. It was noticeably different from the wing they had just traipsed through, for it was only just now under renovation itself. The exhibition spaces were too crowded and outdated, particularly in comparison with the crisp new contemporary section, so the museum's board members had ordered its renovation shortly thereafter. The good thing about this portion of the museum was that the archives that held the art were up to date, courtesy of a very generous and inordinately wealthy patron.

As they reached the halls beyond the classical art exhibits, she explained to Professor Carrington about the disorder of the area. He seemed a bit tense about the areas condition, so she assured him that the art and artifacts were absolutely safe and secure in their state of the art holdings, and that the surrounding offices and halls were what was being brought to standards. This news seemed to appease his tension as he relaxed considerably once they approached the elevator that would take them to the floor that housed her department.

The elevators, like the surrounding hallways, were in need of attention. Not that they were bad…just a bit cramped and musty.

They entered the elevator and Jillian pressed the appropriate button that coordinated with the floor that was to be their destination. Well, there was another bad thing about the elevators on this side of the museum…they were excruciatingly slow. But they served their purpose, because though Jillian was healthy, she refused to climb stairs to the fourth floor in heels…that would be a disaster waiting to happen.

The elevator in question was making its progress upwards when it shuddered to a stop, probably between the second and third floors. Jillian inwardly groaned…_You've got to be kidding me! You pick now to misbehave?!_...she berated the mechanical ascending contraption in her thoughts as she began pressing buttons in hopes that the machine would respond. And in fact none of them did, not even the emergency call button…_Fantastic…we should've taken the stairs…heels be damned…_

As if the elevator had heard her thoughts, it gave another shudder and a sudden jolt. That sharp movement was all it took to make Jillian's heart feel like it had dropped to the pit of her stomach. Overcome by mounting apprehension she glanced at Professor Carrington who looked equally pale and nervous. His knuckles were white in their tight grip of his briefcase.

"Ummm, " she was only able to manage a nervous sounding croak, "this has never happened before…" with as little movement as she could possible manage, she slipped her fingers into the pocket of her purse that held her cell phone, "I'm going to call for help."

The only indication that the professor had heard her was a very minute, almost indiscernible nod of his head; apparently he also felt that any larger movement would jeopardize the integrity of their situation.

She tried to focus on the illuminated numbers of her cell phone and was just barely able to dial the all too familiar emergency number that was ingrained into every person since childhood. However, despite her efforts, the call never connected. It was when she looked at the phone's screen that she noticed that there was no signal…_Shit!!!_

"…Okay," her voice sounded oddly loud in contrast with the silence that had descended upon the precariously suspended metal chamber, "…I uh…can't get a signal…"

"Maybe it will start going again in a few minutes…" Professor Carrington choked out.

"I sure hope so…"

The elevator gave another shudder and a jolt and then, albeit a bit shakily, it began to rise. Simultaneously, sighs of relief were issued from the elevator's occupants as it resumed its ascension to the fourth floor.

"Do you not have stairs?" the professor questioned jokingly as a way to alleviate some of the nervous tension that had latched ferociously onto the enclosed atmosphere with overwhelming palpability.

Jillian responded with a nervous laugh and a shaky nod, "Yes…and I will be using them from now on…I'm sure you will be too."

"Most definitely."

Not a few seconds later, the elevator began to make rumbling, groaning noises that Jillian was sure was attributed to the mechanical workings that kept the elevator aloft. The noises indicated to her that they were grinding together in a manner that betrayed its proper function. These same noises seemed to be the only sounds that reached her ears besides the frantic beating of her own heart. Their ominous tones held a foreboding quality that was answered quite vividly as the cabin sharply and violently dropped a few feet causing the lights to flicker out in its wake. Even those few feet felt like miles to Jillian as the nauseatingly weightless sensation that took hold of her compelled her to grasp the handrails in hopes of anchoring herself against the lack of control the entire situation was thrusting upon her.

Even though she could not see Professor Carrington, she had a pretty good feeling that he was holding on for dear life as much as she was. She was about to ask him if he was alright when a sudden violent jerk tipped the elevator's cabin slightly to one side. Her heart was now beating so fast that she could scarcely breathe.

Then, all at once, a faint snap that sounded much louder than it should have, sounded above them through the roof of the elevator and they were falling. Through her panic, she somehow knew that it wouldn't be long before the inevitable impact would occur. Her body however was more prepared than her mind as it involuntarily readied itself against the unrelenting force of gravity.

And despite her severely scattered thoughts, which even through their disharmony, united in their focus against eminent danger, her attention was sharply grabbed and held by a sudden glow that illuminated the interior of the elevator's cabin.

But it was not a welcoming light; neither warm nor comforting. Even though she could now see, and she was able to discern the professor's form up against the opposite wall panel, the eerie glow of the light saturated her senses with a frighteningly oppressive tangibility that made the super fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She was so startled and overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the malevolent glow that she barely remembered that she was trapped in a falling elevator towards what could very well be the end. But the glow consumed all of her attention. It began to grow in intensity, and as it did so Jillian felt its power seep into every pore of her being. It was making her dizzy; jumbling her already frazzled thoughts, and as it continued to grow she felt herself paralyzed to its supernatural influence.

The glow continued to impose itself upon the elevator and its occupants with resounding force. Jillian's head began to pound and she felt sharp piercing sensations at her temples as if someone or something was driving dulled implements into her head. She felt herself on the edge of consciousness, and she was losing the battle to maintain it. Her eyes began to shut of their own accord, and the last thing she felt was a sudden flood of warmth that tingled through her entire body as if countering the ominous force, before nothingness took her.

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What is to become of Jillian? 'Tis a mystery until next time =) Please review, I'd like to know what everyone thinks=)

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	2. Chapter 2

Hello happy readers! I'm back with a new chapter! I've got future plans for this story that I think will keep it mysterious, exciting, and fun ^_^ (oh! There will definitely be some fun * evil grins* how can there not be with a certain elf involved?)

I want say thankyou to those who have read thus far and have reviewed. It gives me great encouragement to write more!

Disclaimer thingy… I don't own LOTR or any of its affiliated characters (darnit!) This is written just for fun=)

Previously…

She felt herself on the edge of consciousness, and she was losing the battle to maintain it. Her eyes began to shut of their own accord, and the last thing she felt was a sudden flood of warmth that tingled through her entire body as if countering the ominous force, before nothingness took her.

Nothingness was nothingness. There was no pain, no fear, and also no pleasure. The mind is not confined nor is it ultimately free and much the same can be said about the body. Nothingness is not and it is. It is really quite a nice sensation to feel…or not feel…particularly after one has been falling towards eminent doom with a creepy, glow-y something. And nothingness was precisely what Jillian felt abandon her as her mind began to regain its former function. Despite her slowly increasing consciousness, her body was in more of a hurry to resume its proper duties; most importantly, lung function, as she deeply inhaled what was supposed to be only air. Her then reactionary snorts and sneezes caused her mind to pick up its pace and catch up with her body…_ Why am I breathing dirt?_

She was ultimately confused between trying to reconcile her fractured memories of what had occurred in the elevator with what her senses were trying to tell her now. By some miracle of sanity Jillian knew that she should have ended up at the bottom of the museum's elevator shaft trapped in a mire of contorted and crushed metal and electrical elements with likely more injuries than she would care to have, not that she cared to have injuries at all. But instead she was sprawled out lying face down in what her nose had previously determined was dirt. And she was quite sure, mental faculties permitting, that concrete rather than dirt would be at the bottom of an elevator shaft.

She had not moved as of yet, still trying to come to grips with what her rousing consciousness was informing her. Even though her eyes were still closed, she could tell that it was daytime wherever she was by the feel of the warmth of the sun's rays permeating her body through her clothes. She could also feel a light breeze as it meandered across her prone form rustling through her shoulder length hair that she was sure must now look an absolute mess. The scent of the air was far fresher and more natural than any scent her nose was accustomed to by living in urban locales all her life. And her ears, which had accepted the noises of modernization as normal, were hyper-sensitive to the strangely alien sounds of nature that surrounded her.

She opened her eyes as she turned her head to the side and immediately squinted them against the piercing brightness of what apparently was a midday sun. After this glaring discovery, Jillian proceeded to open her eyes more slowly to give them time to adjust to the brightness. At the same time, she wondered just how long she had been unconscious for she was pretty sure that it was much later in the afternoon when she had picked up the professor from the airport.

Once she had finally opened her eyes and allowed herself a few moments to focus, the surrounding view of overwhelming and uninhibited nature competed with her ability to rationalize her thoughts. Barely conscious of her actions, she moved herself into a more upright position, thinking that perhaps seeing things from the proper point of view would make more sense. And in fact, it made it worse because much more of the natural scenery around her was exposed to her field of vision making her feel even more out of sorts.

Her senses were completely overloaded by the endless array of textures, colors, sounds, and smells. The trees to her left, whose branches partially overhung where she sat, cast a dappled carpet of pattern at the edge of what seemed to be a forest. Little sporadic sprouts of green grass and weeds formed petite islands in the dirt around her. To her right, there was a line of low wild bushes that concealed what lay beyond them from her seated position on the ground. All around her small blue-tailed dragonflies with filmy gossamer wings danced and flitted about in the warm midday air occasionally landing upon the vegetation only to dart away after just a few moments.

For the next few minutes all she did was sit in the same position with a dumbfounded expression on her face trying to, though unsuccessfully, make sense of what she was seeing…_I must be hallucinating…or I hit my head…or both…_ She quickly closed her eyes, shaking her head vigorously from side to side as to motivate consciousness and possibly some semblance of reasonable thought. Only belatedly did she think that that sort of motion was not necessarily the best course of action especially with the possibility of a head injury.

Yet when she reopened her eyes, the same vision of nature greeted her mockingly…_Okay…_ With more determination, Jillian resorted to the next method she knew of to rouse one's own consciousness. Leaving perhaps a half an inch worth of space between her right hand's thumb and forefinger she gathered a portion of skin a her left wrist and pinched…hard…with the nails…

"Frick!!!"

Apparently her pain receptors were functioning properly. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one, especially when she opened her eyes to discover the same blasted scenery was still there.

Now that she had exhausted her options in trying to return herself to what she thought should be her reality, she was at a complete loss as to what she should do. But one thing was absolutely certain; answers would not come to her if she remained as she was sitting in the dirt. And so she slowly pushed herself up onto her knees so from that position she could stand. As she stood fully, she had to allow her mind and body to find a sense of equilibrium between them so that the sudden whirling rush of dizziness that assaulted her in her newly acquired upright posture wouldn't induce an urgent need to vomit.

Once Jillian felt the dizziness subside she cast her gaze around to view what was beyond the line of bushes…_More nature…_ Now worry was beginning to grow and superimpose itself over the confusion that already existed within her. For this natural environment spanned for as far as she could see. It was so vast and expansive that it made her feel overwhelmingly small and insignificant.

From her location, the land sloped downward growing greener as it flattened into a sprawling vista. As the landscape extended from there, gently rolling hills undulated across her field of vision. They were peppered here and there by darker spots of green that Jillian guessed were distant trees and bushes. There was a dark, winding rope that curved itself between the hills and as her eyes followed its path closer to where she was, she noticed that it was indeed a river. The sun brightened the land so much that a patchwork of cloud shaped shadows skimmed across the land as the parent clouds floated leisurely above in the vibrant blue sky.

She was so absorbed in what she was seeing that a soft rustling noise from behind her immediately captured her undivided attention. She spun around in the direction of the sound, trying to determine what exactly had produced it and if it was going to launch itself out of the vegetation and eat her. But when she focused on the area that the sound had come from with more intensity nothing happened. No movement. No noise. Nothing.

She was starting to think that she had imagined hearing the noise to begin with when she heard what sounded like a groan issue from just beyond the brush in front of her. And this time she was pretty confident in her senses' perception for she was more immediately able to attune herself to the direction and distance of the sound. She wasn't sure if she should approach the source of the noise, as she felt that she had experienced more than her fair share of unexpected surprises as of late. However, at the moment the balance between cautiousness and curiosity was starting to weigh in favor of the latter. And so she moved forward as slowly as she could manage thinking that slowness equated with stealth.

Very carefully and quietly Jillian parted the branches of the bush before her. Nothing immediately jumped out at her so that indicated to her that it was safe to continue. She more firmly pushed the leafy branches of the overgrown shrub further to the sides and discovered that the source of the suspicious sounds was a human. In fact it was one that was currently in the process of regaining consciousness. A rather familiar one. At that moment, the light-bulb of recognition flashed on in her mind…_Professor Carrington!!!_

She immediately abandoned all of the nervousness that she had allowed to consume her and she fought her way through the unruly vegetation, undoubtedly getting her clothes snagged in the process. Once she had fought her way through the brush leaving it just as battle-worn as it had left her, she rushed to the professor's side. She could see that he was coming to; his eyes were opening and they were trying to focus. He was probably feeling just as confused as she had felt upon her waking to a completely unexpected environment.

As she knelt by his side, she allowed him the time he needed to adjust his senses and sensibilities to the world around him. When he did finally sit up he barely even noticed her until she placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to jump and turn sharply to face her. She was about to tell him how relieved she was to see that he was alright, when a confused and suspicious expression took hold of his features causing her to hold back her question as he asked his own,

"What's going on? Who are you?"

Jillian was quite taken aback by the second question and the way Professor Carrington had asked it in such a demanding fashion that she was at a loss to respond to it. Actually she was at a loss as to how to respond to the first question as well.

After a moment, in which she had been somewhat able to gather her wits, she tentatively answered his question,

"Professor…It's me…Jillian Pearce," she hoped that her name would help spark some recognition, "I had contacted you about a renaissance painting…"

She was about to explain more of her connection to him when he interrupted suddenly, "Ah…yes…Miss Pearce…" he briefly quieted himself to look around at the surroundings, "What exactly happened?"

"I'm not really sure…we were in the elevator and it was going to…crash...next thing I know is waking up here, where ever here is."

"In the middle of a forest…" Professor Carrington stated as he quickly surveyed their immediate surroundings.

"Well, more like on the edge of one really. There's this big plain off in that direction." She pointed behind her to indicate exactly what direction she was referring to.

Professor Carrington's gaze followed her gesture and he moved to stand up so that he could go see the landscape for himself when he swayed a bit pausing in his assent. By reaction, Jillian leaned forward to help steady him.

Once the professor claimed that he was fine and could manage on his own Jillian led him through the passage in the brush that she had created earlier. When they were finally on the other side she observed his reaction to the view before them. And from her observation she was able to ascertain that he was obviously just as stunned by what he was now seeing as she was when she had first seen it not even an hour before. But in contrast to her initial reaction, in which all she had managed was to just stare dumbly at the panorama below, his reaction was more critical and calculating judging by the deep furrow that had set into his brow line. It was as if he was trying to absorb every little detail visible from this vantage point, trying to commit it all to memory.

"It certainly is puzzling." He said rather calmly even though he looked as if he was still trying to rationalize the conundrum stretched out for miles in every direction.

_Well that's the understatement of the century…_ Jillian thought. _Its frickin' messed up is what it is…_

They stood there for a long while as they continued to survey the land, subconsciously willing the prolonged contemplation to yield answers that were too elusive for their own good. She didn't know what was going on in the professor's mind but she knew that her mind was still questioning its own sanity.

"Look there," the professor's sudden exclamation caused Jillian to start as she was harshly pulled from her own musings, "Right there, in the bend of the river," her gaze followed the direction that he was indicating yet unsuccessfully seeing anything worth noting, "There's a village."

_A village?!..._ She focused more adamantly this time in hopes of spotting the alleged village, but still she saw nothing. She had to really squint her eyes before she was able to make out a small blob like shape on the landscape that she supposed could be a village…_Why hadn't I noticed it before?_

"Are you sure?"

"Quite."

He sounded pretty confident so Jillian didn't question him further.

"We should head towards it," he suggested, "Perhaps we could learn more once we get there."

It was a pretty reasonable idea. Actually it was the only reasonable idea to be had thus far even despite how far away the village seemed. Jillian sure didn't have any better ideas to offer and there wasn't much else around besides never-ending nature. Besides, it was a plan. It was determined and focused and far better than sitting where they were where nothing would be learned.

Taking a deep breath, Jillian nodded towards the professor, "Alright…Lead the way."

And so once she had gathered her purse and her workbag that had still been lying in the dirt near the spot she had originally been laying, as well as the professor's briefcase that he had forgotten amongst the brush, they set out for the village and hopefully some much anticipated answers.

He smirked as he listened to his disgruntled companion's incessant and colorful grumblings about cross-country travel. He found it amusing for it was in fact his companion that had insisted quite emphatically upon their current travels.

It seemed that the dwarf was more than enthusiastic to start out but as the day wore on he would grow proportionately more impatient and cantankerous. However, his mood would level itself out to a more amiable state each morning after he was able to rest his legs for the night, eat his fair share, and gain a good night's sleep.

The Dwarf had insisted that he could take some of the night watches on several of their rest stops since they had set out from Minas Tirith. But Legolas always insisted much more reasonably, if not a bit competitively, that he did not require as much rest as his friend and that it would be much more advantageous for the both of them if Gimli would rest during the nights so that he could regain his strength and rebuild his endurance for the following days. Besides, Legolas enjoyed having the nightly respite to reflect upon his own thoughts and admire the night sky and its sprinkling of countless sparkling stars that the different races of Middle Earth had mapped out in constellations that spoke of the histories and legends of each culture. He didn't even mind his friend's steady snoring from across the camp fire for it actually had a rather meditative rhythm about it.

But now, Legolas could tell from the dwarf's more frequent curses that they were nearing the stopping point in their travels for the day. After all, the sun had already sunk beneath the horizon leaving the sky a warm pink that faded into a much deeper purple the higher ones gaze traveled.

"Do you wish to find a spot to camp?" Legolas asked his grumpy friend as he tried to conceal his own amusement.

Apparently Gimli did, for he abruptly stopped and promptly let fall all that he carried. With a look of relief upon his face he said, "We are on the plains of Rohan. Here is as good a place as any."

And so they had found their camp for the night. Gimli left Legolas the task of starting a small fire for there was not much in the way of fire wood to be had on the expansive plains and his elven friend was quite crafty and resourceful so he had no doubt that Legolas could start one. Gimli himself set about preparing his own bedroll that would welcome him very shortly once his stomach was satisfied. Once both had completed their tasks, the small fire casting its warmth and glow between the two of them, Legolas handed his friend a decent portion of their collective rations, to which Gimli quickly ate not caring how much of it ended up in his beard, because the more quickly he ate the sooner he would be able to lay down for some much needed rest.

It wasn't long after Gimli had laid down that the sound of his signature snores reached Legolas' ears. With an inward laugh, Legolas then allowed himself to relax and his thoughts to wander.

If he had to guess, it had been perhaps four or five months since Aragorn was crowned as the rightful king of Gondor. But he really could not be sure for he was not one to be too preoccupied with the passing of time as it was a trait common to his race. However, in his thoughts, time itself in regards to his experiences as well as his close friendships with mortals had made him considerably more aware of its effects. It unsettled him greatly to know that time would eventually become his enemy when it would come to take from him those whom he loved.

Feeling himself become increasingly distressed at that very thought, he guided his thoughts elsewhere. Specifically, he thought of how resilient the world around him was, for everything seemed to strive towards settling itself back into a more natural balance after the war had ended. And in spite of how hopeless things during the war had seemed, hope itself was never lost. It was never snuffed out as long as there were those who would kindle its flame. And now it burned most brightly as a beacon for the future of Middle Earth.

A particularly loud snore from the sleeping dwarf caught Legolas' attention and he laughed quietly to himself, his musings taking a new direction. It amazed him how strong a friend Gimli had become to him, just as much as how strongly he had extended his friendship to the dwarf. He was sure, considering the past and highly strained relations between his own race and the Dwarves, that his friendship with Gimli was quite unprecedented. In fact, the beginning of their relationship was very highly strained itself. But the course of the war had brought about a camaraderie that eventually grew into a very strong, if different, friendship. It was also during the war that Legolas realized despite their many seemingly immense differences that they were quite similar. For both of them fought for hope, for the promise of a bright and happy future, as well as making both of these things possible for their loved ones.

It was a pleasant night on the plains of Rohan. The warmth of the late summer still lingered in the air even though autumn was sure to bring about cooler and crisper air. The moon had become full and cast its silvery grey light on the wide landscape around them. The stars were brilliant and glistened against the deep velvet of the night sky. Overall, Nature seemed content and at peace.

Legolas was in the process of stoking the small fire to encourage its warmth towards his slumbering friend when a sudden rather forceful breeze rushed across their camp nearly extinguishing the flames that he had been attending. It caused him to abruptly cease his actions, his brow creasing, for it was not a natural wind as it swept from the east, cutting through the light southerly breeze that warmed the land of Rohan during the summer. Even in the midst of the small fire and despite his higher tolerance towards extremes of temperature, Legolas could not suppress the chilling shivers that radiated down his spine and throughout his body.

He immediately reached for his bow, at the same time directing his focus toward the direction that the wind had come from. With his sharp eyesight he tried to detect anything that might have been left in the wake of the strange wind. And yet, even with his keen vision, he could not see anything aside from the empty landscape before him and the distant outline of mountains.

The wind was gone just as quickly as it had come. And the small fire that had nearly fallen victim to the unexpected gust slowly began to regain in strength. In fact, it seemed that every aspect of the nature around him took no time in forgetting the brief presence of the unsettling draft. But the unrestful tenseness that it had left him feeling would not abate. He could not ignore the feelings that it had inspired because it had set every one of his instincts on guard. And when it came to potential harm or danger he did not ignore the warning that his instincts provided.

He also felt that there must have been a very significant thing or event that it would elicit such an immediate and intense response from him. It was nothing he could ignore and he felt obligated to find the source of what had caused the unusual and eerie phenomenon.

He glanced towards Gimli as he tried to ease the tension that had built up inside of him upon being met by the strange event. The dwarf looked completely undisturbed. Legolas raised a brow. In fact, it looked like he hadn't moved at all and his snores were as consistent as they had initially begun shortly after he had fallen asleep. Legolas smirked and shook his head. For he had discovered throughout their many journeys since the fellowship had originally formed that Gimli was a very heavy sleeper. In fact, when the dwarf was truly and completely unconscious, Legolas doubted very seriously that even a Gondorian horn held right at his ear would rouse him.

Yet, despite his friend's antics, conscious and otherwise, his thoughts were sobered by the nagging feeling that the strange wind had left. He knew that something was amiss and that it would prove ill if it went unchecked. With that in mind, he also knew that he must inform his friend once morning had come. It frustrated him to do so for Gimli was very eager to set out on their explorations as they had agreed upon after the war had ended. But he knew that Gimli would agree to investigate whatever was the cause for such concern, for his friend had come to greatly trust his instincts.

And so Legolas waited out the rest of the night, his attention shifting towards the east, for that was to be their new destination once morning came.

Hmmm… so what will they find in this supposed village? Goodness me, more mystery=)

Next time: Nature is really not Jillian's thing…the professor seems more worried about the painting than where they are… Legolas and Gimli come across an old friend… and more unexpected surprises…

Until next time! Later!


	3. Chapter 3

A new chapter! Yay! Its extra long this time=) it took a little longer to put together than I had anticipated but I hope everyone enjoys it nonetheless ^_^

Again, thankyou so very much to all who read and have reviewed. Your comments make me smile and encourage me to write even more=)

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Night was fast approaching, but Jillian and Professor Carrington still made progress towards the village. It seemed that the professor was very determined to reach it as soon as possible for whatever reasons inspired him so. Jillian, however, did not have the same goal in mind. She was tired. They had been walking for so long and the village that was just a small blur to her vision before, was now a slightly larger blur in the diminishing light. It wore on her and frustrated her to no end; their seemingly never-ending progress, her growing fatigue, and above all…her damned heels!

She had in fact, removed the accursed particles of footwear earlier in the day so that she could gain better traction and most importantly, to improve her balance while walking. She knew that from where they had started their now arduous trek the land sloped downward in their intended path. What she didn't expect was the deceptive steepness of said incline.

But it wasn't just the incline that led her to eagerly dispatch her shoes to her already crowded workbag. It was also the insurmountable amount of walking that led her to that decision. In addition to these factors, it was also the unevenness of the ground itself that caused her heels to become ensnared in the low but taught roots of the grass and weeds with one step, only to sink down into little barren patches of loose fine dirt with the next, that irritated her to the point of removing the troublesome things.

The sun had set not that long ago as the sky was still a blend of warm colors that followed the sun beneath the horizon in the west, while bleeding into the deep colors of night that met them from the east. Yet despite the rapidly waning light they still made their progress toward the village. Jillian could feel the need to rest pull at her even more strongly the further they went. She had tried all of the subtle little ways she could think of to allude to her fatigue that inspired her desire to stop and rest, but Professor Carrington didn't seem to notice any of them, much to her chagrin.

In fact, the professor didn't seem to focus on anything else but reaching that village. _It won't hurt to stop for the night…_she thought with annoyance…_the village will still be there in the morning._ But when she had tried to broach the subject of stopping earlier to which Professor Carrington barely responded saying only that it would be best to cover as much ground as they could.

When Jillian thought back on it, Jillian noticed that unless she specifically directed a question towards Professor Carrington, he barely spoke at all that day. At first Jillian didn't mind because walking down that steep incline consumed quite a bit of one's attention and concentration. However, once the grade of the slope's steepness started to level out to a more gradual and manageable degree, she had made comments about how formidable their path had been and how relieved she was to be approaching more easily passable terrain. All he had done was glance at her to indicate that he had heard her. But he didn't say a word. So Jillian passed it off as him being frustrated at not knowing where they were for she too expressed frustration inwardly. Still, the silence was an awkward one and she really hated those.

They continued making their way towards the blurry village blob that was growing even more difficult to see in the increasing darkness. There was only a faint sliver of twilight now lingering upon the horizon, but the moon's light kept the landscape around them from falling into complete blackness.

Even more so, Jillian felt that it had grown far too dark to continue and petitioned once more even more fervently to Professor Carrington that they stop for the night. At first he didn't want to stop just yet, but when Jillian reasoned that their situation would be even worse if they got off track in the darker veil of the night, he acquiesced and they soon found a spot amongst a rather large clumping of trees to rest for the night. It even had a small narrowing creek that branched from the river that was growing closer to them as they made their gradual progress towards the village.

_Finally!!!_ Jillian exclaimed to herself. She was so tired. They had selected a particularly large tree under which to make their camp for the night; Jillian choosing the spot against the tree's trunk while the professor opted to stake out his spot a little more in the open. There wasn't much around it, and it wasn't a particularly comfortable spot, but then again Jillian had not expected it to be very comfortable if her previous encounters with extended stays in nature were any indication. Specifically her brief stent in girl scouts as a child. Those scout camping trips, and what she could recall from her fading memories that reached that far back in time, were not very comfortable. And even then she had the many amenities of flashlights, tents, sleeping bags, coolers, camping stoves and any other form of camping equipment that would be useful. But now, she had nothing but the clothes on her back, her purse, and her workbag, none of which would prove very helpful in the wilderness.

But regardless of that, they had stopped for the night, and despite any discomfort likely to be had, Jillian was ecstatic for the much needed rest she eagerly welcomed.

She sat down, leaning against the rough, scratchy trunk of the tree. Ignoring the minor irritation that the tree caused her, she breathed a very long contented sigh of relief now that her feet were being relieved of the pressure built up from being upright and mobile for so long.

After she allowed herself a few moments to sit and unwind, and once she took a drink of water for herself, she handed her nearly empty water bottle to Professor Carrington who sat a few paces away atop his briefcase. She made a mental note to remember to fill up the bottle from the creek in the morning. She had considered filling it up then at that moment, but her exhausted body would not cooperate with her brain's commands to stand up.

She was so tired from walking all day long that the need to sleep was quickly becoming the only feeling to dominate her body. It even battled out any pangs of hunger she would have felt after going without any food for so long.

Her weariness was quickly becoming the only thing she was aware of. She was just barely able to make out from her wavering vision, as her eyes began to close, the form of Professor Carrington sitting on his briefcase staring off into the distance with that furtive expression he had been wearing all day.

But as she drifted off into much welcomed oblivion, she missed the way in which the professor concentrated in the direction of the village as flickers of reds and oranges began to bloom in brilliant little patches over the location of their destination.

#*#*#*#*#*#

The sun had just begun its slow and steady journey across the sky; having cleared the horizon not too long after Gimli had woken. The new day itself promised to be one of good weather for Legolas and his friend to make good progress towards their new destination.

Legolas had recounted the strange experience from the night before to Gimli as the dwarf broke his fast on a small but substantially satisfying portion of lembas that Legolas was gifted with from the elves who had come to Minas Tirith for Aragorn's coronation. Gimli listened intently to his friend, his bushy red brows furrowed in concern. He knew that Legolas had a very keen sense when it came to danger, so what his friend told him indicated that the situation was a serious one. He could not deny that he was disappointed to have to delay their travels, but when he noticed how intent Legolas was on investigating this strange new matter, he knew that Legolas would not be fully invested in their agreed upon adventures so long as the phenomenon remained unresolved. And so after Gimli had finished his small morning meal and packed his bedroll, they turned to the east from where the unnerving occurrence had come.

The two companions had been traveling for what felt like hours for the sun had risen higher and grown more intense, its bright light casting the sharp outline of their shadows behind them as they made their way towards the suspected source for concern. Initially, Legolas was quite eager to take up their new path so that he could dutifully investigate and deal with whatever drew his attention thenceforth. Gimli, however, found their new path quite ironic for it took them in nearly the same direction that they had originally come from.

Legolas' thoughts throughout the morning thus far were mainly focused on detecting anything out of the ordinary. Even throughout the remainder of the previous night he was focused and ever vigilant for any signs of unusual activity. And now, as he and Gimli were crossing the lands that were the midpoint between Edoras and Minas Tirith, Legolas kept his senses sharp.

The lands in question were greener than the plains where they had come from. The likely cause of the more fertile landscape was probably due to its closer proximity to a forest, situated against the mountains, that was fed by a river that wound itself between the hills which rolled across ones field of vision. Legolas could just make out the outline of the forest even from where they now were, which was still too far away for any mortal to see.

He paused suddenly, his eyes raptly attuned to one point to the north of the forest.

Legolas' sudden halt caused Gimli to stop as well. He looked to his elven friend and saw that he was only focused on a single spot. Gimli also knew that the intense manner of Legolas' stare could only mean that whatever it was that held his attention was indeed significant, for Gimli himself could not make out any noteworthy spectacle upon the horizon.

"What do ye see?"

Legolas' brows furrowed at the sound of Gimli's voice as well as the question he had raised, as he wished that his eyes did not see what they were currently fixed upon. "Smoke… rising thickly…" He relayed softly as he spared a very brief sideways glance towards Gimli and noticed the alarm that flashed in his friend's eyes. Gimli must have known, as Legolas did himself, that the cause of smoke visible to him from this distance was not the result of a minor event, "Just north of the forest."

With this development,the two companions stood there in thought for a moment, trying to extrapolate possible connections to the eerie event from the night before.

"Ye don't think it has something to do with that strange wind?"

Once again, Gimli's sudden inquiry drew Legolas' attention from the distant black billows of smoke and ash.

"I do not know…it could merely be a coincidence that it lies in the same direction."

Gimli was about to comment on how it seemed like too much of a coincidence when Legolas turned sharply to the open plains behind them. He was going to ask what had caught the elf's attention this time, but when he turned to face the same direction he could see for himself what it was.

It was still quite a ways off, but he could make out the rapidly approaching form of a lone rider on horseback. The rider spurred the animal on with such haste that Gimli thought it a potential threat. Yet as his body tensed his axe in hand for a most ready defense, he gave a quick glance towards Legolas. He had expected to see the elf as ready as he was for any danger that might come, but what he saw was a light grin spread across Legolas' face as he then reached a hand high in the air waving towards the rider.

"Have ye lost yer mind laddie?! Wavin' at strangers when such strange happenings are about!"

Legolas then smiled at Gimli as he rested his other hand upon the dwarf's tense shoulder, "Worry not Gimli… 'Tis only Gandalf."

"Gandalf?!"

Sure enough, when Gimli looked back, squinting his eyes to better see the horse and rider that were growing more visible as they approached, he could now discern the unmistakable white robes that fluttered and flapped about the white bearded man and the majestic white steed that carried him.

"Ah…so it is."

Apparently, and with thanks to Legolas' waving, Gandalf had seen them as well for he and Shadowfax had turned slightly towards them and were now quickly approaching. Legolas and Gimli did not need to wait for long as Shadowfax was a strong and fast horse and before they knew it, both he and his rider were coming right upon them, slowing to a canter as the distance quickly decreased.

When Gandalf had finally come to a complete stop before them, it was Gimli who first spoke,

"Gandalf," he nodded in greetings towards the white wizard.

"Legolas and Gimli," the very wizard addressed the elf and dwarf with a smile that could only belong to him, "I had thought that the two of you would be traveling in the opposite direction. Do not tell me that your travels are over so soon."

Gimli, being the more outspoken member of the uncanny twosome, took it upon himself to answer Gandalf as he dismounted from Shadowfax, "We were goin' that way. And had made it quite a ways to the west and north of here."

Gandalf's normally good-natured expression took on a more puzzled appearance as he looked from one to the other.

"And yet you have turned back."

Even though Gandalf had issued the last comment as a statement, Legolas could detect the unvoiced question that it posed. So when the Wizard came to stand with the two companions, Legolas explained the reason why they had turned back, once again recounting the events that he had witnessed from the night before.

Once he was finished, he and Gimli stood quietly for a long while allowing Gandalf the silence that he needed for his state of deep thought and concentration, while Shadowfax ventured further from them finding choice patches of vegetation to gently graze upon.

In the time that Gandalf was engaged in his contemplative reverie, Legolas assessed the wizard's reaction to the information he had just imparted. Most notably, Legolas felt that Gandalf's inward speculation, despite its accompanying silence, spoke volumes. To Legolas, Gandalf's long and focused state of ponderance meant that the whole situation was more serious than he originally had thought.

Quite suddenly, after such a long silence, Gandalf started to speak quietly as if thoughts were still forming whilst he spoke, "Yes…I had felt an unrest arise quite suddenly…Nature is very sensitive to such things…" he paused looking to Legolas and Gimli with sharp blue eyes, "Well then…Am I correct to assume that you two have taken it upon yourselves to investigate the cause?"

They had just barely affirmed Gandalf's deduction when the wizard continued with fervor that had not been present during his previous contemplations, "Very good…I do not know what you may find, but I bid you to keep well nonetheless."

At this last statement Gimli and Legolas exchanged glances and Legolas was then the one to voice the question that had risen in both of their minds, "You are not to join us?"

"No…I shall make for the Golden wood to consult with the Lady and her mirror." Gandalf replied as he turned to the place that Shadowfax had last been grazing, except the great creature was no longer there.

Both elf and dwarf looked about confused for they had not noticed the departure of the kingly horse either. Gandalf looked simply amused, wondering what had gained the horses attention, as he issued a piercing whistle that Legolas and Gimli knew as a summons for the horse.

It was just a few moments before the visage of said horse crested upon a nearby hill. But he was not alone. He was accompanied by several more horses, some saddled, some not, but all rider-less. Gandalf chuckled, "It seems that Shadowfax has found some new friends."

Legolas and Gimli were just as amused, if not equally puzzled at the fast approaching flock of steeds. However, Legolas' amusement was the first to wane as the horses drew nearer for he noticed that the new horses had patches of soot upon their coats, a few of them had injuries along their sides and legs, and some of their manes and tails were singed as if by fire.

"They must have fled the fire," Legolas commented as the group of horses drew even closer. At that, Gandalf turned to him, a questioning look upon his face.

"Fire?"

"Yes…just to the north of the forest that edges the mountains."

Gandalf's brows furrowed at Legolas' reaffirmation. Having just witnessed the exchange between the elf and the wizard, Gimli notice the look of consternation that once again took hold of Gandalf's features and joined in the new conversation, addressing Gandalf himself, "Legolas thinks it be nothing but mere coincidence, but do ye think is has bearing on the strange things happening?"

Gandalf turned towards the dwarf, "I do not know Gimli," and after a short pause he appraised both of them with a purposeful look, "but one thing is certain…wherever there is trouble, more trouble is likely to find it."

The horses were upon them now. But while the majority of them dispersed in various directions to lazily stroll about nibbling at the grass as Shadowfax had done earlier, two of the horses accompanied Shadowfax himself towards the trio. Legolas could tell from the look of these two horses that they were the fittest and strongest of the group and that they had also escaped the fire before the others had for they barely had evidence of the effects upon their bodies.

Smiling, Gandalf reached for Shadowfax to affectionately stroke the horse's velvety soft muzzle, "It seems my friend has found willing steeds to bear you two as riders," his smile faded as he looked to the two horses, "I hope they find comfort in your companionship as they surely need it after losing their home."

The two horses stood patiently near Shadowfax gazing intently at Legolas and Gimli through gentle brown eyes framed with thick fans of lashes. As calmly as he could, Legolas approached the taller of the two animals. He focused on exuding contentment and serenity through is body and actions so that the horse, who had experienced far too much fright recently, would not be unduly stressed again. The horse was a fine creature, nearly as tall as Shadowfax and clearly a horse prized for his strength. Legolas spoke softly in elvish to the creature and at the sound of his voice the tall horse looked to Legolas, his ears pricked and his eyes curious as if he had understood what Legolas had said. The animal then nudged Legolas with his snout as a way of showing his appreciation for the respect and kindness that the elf had shown him.

From his spot, Gimli looked on at the communication between his friend and the tall horse. Apparently Legolas had taken to this mount just as said horse had taken to Legolas. All of which was fine with him, for Legolas' new animal friend was far too tall for someone of his stature. Gimli would never willingly admit it aloud, but he had fallen from horses on more occasions than he cared to recall, so he was quite glad to let his friend ride the taller steed. His race did not so easily rely upon horses as did the race of men, nor the elves, so he was far more comfortable to be paired with the shorter of the two horses. That way if he were to fall, not that he planned on it, but there would be less distance between his seat and the ground.

Once the three were astride their appropriate steeds, Gandalf and Shadowfax were facing north while Legolas and Gimli directed their horses eastward, the wizard looked to the uncommon pair.

"Tis unfortunate for our meeting to be so brief…yet we are faced once again with uncertainty and it would be our most prudent course of action to see to it before it has the chance to overwhelm us all," and once more Gandalf fixed the two of them with a meaningful look that none other than he could manage, "I trust you both to keep well…Our paths will cross yet again."

And with that, Gandalf and Shadowfax took their flight north, speeding across the land as quickly as they had come.

Legolas and Gimli watched after the wizard and his equine companion till they were no longer visible beyond the cresting hills. Then they too set forth once more to the east and whatever mystery awaited them there.

#*#*#*#*#*#

Jillian was in a foul mood. Not that she was obvious about it; she tended to express any moodiness subtly and inwardly. Occasionally if the stressors accumulated too much, her frustrations would become more outwardly known. She hadn't gotten to that point yet, but she could feel it coming on.

The day so far had been a long one, and by her best guess it was still not that long after noon, for the sun was quite high in the sky. But so much had occurred since she had woken up from her pleasantly restful sleep, that she felt it should be much later.

For one thing, Jillian's rest had been so sound that it was a startling shock to wake up in the wilderness curled up beneath a tree. Her mind, from the day before, had not let go of the theory that this place as well as the entire situation she was in was nothing but one hell of a hallucination. And so after waking, her mind took to the stages of denial, which had stalled out at anger…well more like mounting irritation…several hours ago.

But her continued presence in this still as of yet unknown location was just the bottom layer of the phenomenally messed up cake of fate that was so unceremoniously, albeit metaphorically, smashed in her face. No. After she sorted out the fact that the so-called hallucination was her new reality, she recalled the plan from the day before to head for the village that Professor Carrington had spotted in the distance. So she was flabbergasted when she roused herself from her spot under the tree that morning to look out across the land towards the bend in the river that hugged the village, to see great black plumes of smoke rising from that spot that was so much easier to see in the daylight.

At that point her frustration had usurped a large portion of her composure. And the more irritated she became, the more sarcastic her thought processes turned. For as she stared at the large, sooty cloud in the distance she couldn't help but think that fate wasn't a very good baker, because the more she tasted of this 'fate cake', the more she got sick of it.

But what is a cake without its icing? Not that Jillian cared about what could be the finishing touches on this one. However, she inevitably got a more than liberal sampling when she turned to Professor Carrington to first, see if he was awake and second, ask him what had happened to the village. The professor was indeed awake, but he was completely oblivious to much around him and was completely absorbed with the contents of his briefcase, particularly one sheet of paper. When she had walked behind him to look over his shoulder at what he was looking at, she saw that it was a digital printout of the mystery painting that seemed like such a far away concern considering all that had happened. When she did gain his attention, he inundated her with an overwhelming amount of questions about it. At some point she had to tune him out, because on top of being overwhelmed she couldn't understand why he had become so talkative all of a sudden and so she turned her attention back to the village wondering if they should continue towards it and what they would find there if they did.

Currently, her musings of the day's earlier discoveries had settled down to a simmer. But they were still enough to keep her on edge.

They had been growing ever closer to what was now left of the village for quite some time since they had set out from their camping spot. It had been Jillian's suggestion this time that they continue on to the village to see if there were any survivors that needed help, for they had nowhere else to go and it was possible that whoever they could help might help them in return as well as be able to tell them where they were.

She was still sorting through her thoughts when she stepped on a rock large enough to painfully pinch the muscles at the bottom of her foot from the pressure of her stride…_Frick!!! That hurt!!!..._She lifted her foot to look down at the solid little culprit when she was effectively distracted by how filthy her feet were. She then thought to look herself over and noticed that the rest of her was quite dirty and disheveled, just not nearly as much as her feet.

The sudden Halt of Professor Carrington to her side distracted her yet again, this time from her reflection of her compromised hygiene. When she looked up and to the way in which his line of sight directed she could see what caused him to stop. In the distance before them, a band of dark and wild figures were descending from the top of one of the hills that lay between them and the village.

They were moving quickly, but what concerned Jillian the most was the suspicious fact that they looked as if they had come directly from the village itself. This caused her to wonder if they had anything to do with the chaos at the village for little flashes of warning pulsated in her mind. Just from what she could see, these were questionable figures and she wasn't so sure she wanted to be met with them.

So with that at the front of her mind Jillian turned to Professor Carrington, "I've got a bad feeling about them… I think we better stay away…" she paused in her speech for a moment as she surveyed the immediate vicinity for a suitable shelter, "…Maybe even hide."

As if by a sudden whim of luck, Jillian spotted an outcropping of large rocks not too far from them at the base of a neighboring hill. Without even checking to see if Professor Carrington followed her, Jillian had set out at a rapid pace for those rocks. Yet, she could tell that he was following her because one of his shoes made an odd noise when he walked. And currently she could hear that noise creating an equally quick rhythm behind her.

She glanced back towards the figures, and to her dismay they were closer than she would think they could be considering where they were when she first spotted them. _They must be running fast!_

That being so, she picked up her own pace to a jog and hoped with every fiber of her being that once she was hidden that they would pass her by.

When they finally reached the cropping of rocks, Jillian all but dove behind the biggest one there. The professor, by contrast, merely settled himself against one that Jillian supposed was the most convenient to him all the while giving her a funny look at her enthusiastic arrival to the hiding spot. _What's that look for? _Jillian didn't know what to make of that look, so she settled her gaze elsewhere trying to ease the stains of embarrassment that flushed upon her cheeks and ears _….I personally don't want to be caught by dangerous strangers!_

Her mind was about to dissect the cryptic meaning behind Professor Carrington's stare but was disrupted by the sounds of heavy footfalls that thudded at a steady and forceful pace. They were growing closer and as they did Jillian could hear the sounds of clanking metal and other heavy materials. The heavy steps continued to near, never once faltering. It was an odd sound, disorganized but sinisterly purposeful at the same time. She was growing more nervous as they were getting quite close, just nearly alongside the rocks that she and the professor hid behind. She wished even harder this time, that whoever these strangers were, that they would continue right on past.

But so far, fate had been out to get her since this whole damned fiasco started on that blasted elevator. Because just as she wished them to move on, they started to slow and altogether came to a stop just to the left of the rocks she and the professor had sought out for refuge. They were close, too close in Jillian's opinion. So she dared not move and tried her best to control her breathing to make herself as silent as possible.

Suddenly, in a voice that caused Jillian's fist to clench so tight that her nails dug into the sensitive skin of her palms, one of the runners spoke, "What is it?"

This time another answered in a deeper, throaty voice that caused the words he said to sound like the most grotesque thing Jillian had ever heard, "Manflesh."

At that response Jillian's eyes widened as her brain was frantically telling her to run, hide, protect herself…Something!!! She was so wrapped up in her own psyche's fight or flight mechanism that the sudden movement of Professor Carrington caused her attention to be violently yanked back to the situation at hand.

Eyes still hugely wide, she looked up at Professor Carrington as he stood and made his way out into the open. _What the fuck is he doing?!?!_

Jillian heard a commotion as the strangers were apparently riled at his sudden appearance, however they were calmed quite quickly as the professor began speaking. But it didn't calm Jillian in the least for it was a strange harsh language that the professor spoke, one that she had never heard before, but also one that these strangers spoke for they answered him with it.

Jillian didn't know what to make of this. It was all too sudden and left her feeling betrayed and utterly dumbfounded. So all she could do was huddle herself against the rocks, paralyzed by her own disbelief and fear. She didn't notice anything else except the way her heart beat so frantically that its fast rhythm caused her blood to pulse so strongly through her body, her head especially, that it made her overwhelmingly dizzy.

But her senses returned with a mighty vengeance as something grabbed hole of her ankle and pulled hard, dragging her along rather violently to where her head collided suddenly with the ground and her shirt rode up her back, as the rough ground scraped her skin at the forced motion.

When she looked up she realized with horror that she was out in the open. But what she saw next was quite plainly the most awful and frightening thing that she had ever seen, for the person who had dragged her so roughly forth was no person. There was no way it could be. It was the very definition of a monster; its oily, slimy skin and sharp teeth snarling down at her. She tried to scream but it was as if her throat had filled with cotton, muffling any attempts she even thought to muster.

Then the monster in front of her bent over her and its closeness made her gag, not only from its appearance but also from its smell. It grabbed her by the neck and lifted her as if she were but a mere ragdoll, a sinister leer on its what she guessed she could call a face as it said with its awful voice, "A female."

"She is needed…unspoiled."

At that remark, and the familiar voice that spoke it Jillian strained her vision to where it had sounded. And there stood Professor Carrington in the midst of all the monsters, unharmed and with the coldest look upon his face.

A sudden flare of anger found her the voice that had abandoned her before, "You?!?!"

Professor Carrington sneered, his expression full of contempt at her vocal realization, "Bind her."

The minute Jillian heard that command she began struggling as two more of the monsters approached with thick lengths of heavy, black rope and began winding it tightly around her wrists and ankles. "What?!?! No!...NO! You son of a bitch!!!"

And then it all happened far too quickly. The professor's expression grew harsher as she fought and screamed and he again said something to the monsters, but she couldn't hear what it was. She fought more desperately, spouting obscenities as she did so, but her struggles were soon stifled as pain blossomed in the back of her head spreading in a myriad of flashing colors across her eyes before everything, like it had done so on the elevator, went black.

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Wow!! That was a long one! And poor Jillian, she must hate her author for putting her through all this crap. But I think she'll forgive me next chapter when a certain handsome elf finally falls into her life ^_^

Lovely readers, please review=) I still like to know what everyone thinks=)

Until next chapter,

Mel


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone!!! I'm back with chapter four! And there's lots of stuff in there ^_^

I want to give a great big warm and fuzzy thankyou to all the great readers and reviewers! All the kind feedback really makes my day!

Disclaimer thingy: I unfortunately am not fortunate enough to have any claims to LOTR or its characters, but I can dare to dream ;P

Thoughts are italicized =)

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Jillian was lost; completely and utterly lost. It was as if the universe was one colossal clothes drying machine and she the ill-fated sock that would never see its former life and purpose. It had been a little more than a full day since she had come awake after her violently induced unconsciousness, but despite that, or perhaps because of it, she had lost any concept of the passing of time for she did not know how long she had been incapacitated. That and her present company…if it could even be called that…held most of her attention. Not that she would call them fascinating, rather it was more of a primal instinct within her mind that had her sensitive to any little or large threat they might pose, and so any sense of time lost its priority.

Though one thing was certain, however much time had passed was by far way too long for Jillian; conscious or not. So far, that of it that she was aware of just blended into this big, overwhelming expanse filled with the frightening presence of the hideous monsters, occasionally punctuated by their truly ghastly behaviors, and one very infuriating encounter with the professor that left her feeling hopeless and without a choice.

She was currently being forced to travel though she knew not where, which was likely due to her now second bout of involuntary unconsciousness. But through the monotonous pace that had been set and perhaps as a way of making sense of all that had occurred, Jillian found her thoughts straying back to her reawakening and the seemingly impossible situation that had become her reality…

_When she had initially woken up, not only was her head pounding but she had also realized that her hands and ankles were still bound, reminding her of all that had happened the day before. The sky was dim and she wasn't sure if it was the earliest part of the morning or if it was only growing dark._

_Throughout the beginning portions of her newly regained consciousness, Jillian was left alone for the longest while where they had deposited her, ignored completely as if she didn't exist. But eventually one of the monsters had noticed that she was awake and had fixed her with a look that was all too disturbing. And much to her horror and dismay, this one monster's attentions towards her gained the focus of even more of them. At that point she was thoroughly freaked out, and being the center of their attention had already caused her enough alarm that she doubted much else could do so. That was until they started talking about eating her. When they had first spoken of it she thought that they were just trying to frighten her for their own amusement. But when their descriptions of how they would eat her and which parts they thought would be most appetizing became more detailed and far too graphic, she started to think that they were quite serious about making her that evening's dinner special. And their seriousness on the subject became apparent in the most violent and macabre fashion when they had become overly zealous resulting in a chaotic brawl that ended in the dismemberment of one of the smaller monsters which the others greedily feasted upon. She was simultaneously disgusted, horrified, and relieved for they had lost all interest in her since their heinous actions had earned them an unexpected meal…_

Even now, thinking back on that whole episode, Jillian couldn't suppress the shudder that the gruesome memory inspired.

She was in the process of trying to banish the former haunting memories from her mind when the form of Professor Carrington edged into her field of vision. A bitter expression took hold of her features at the sight of him walking freely while she was carefully guarded by the monsters in front of her as well as those behind her to prevent her from trying to run off. And her thoughts took off in a new direction, but one just as unpleasant as the last…

_It was her first encounter with him after she had woken up. In fact, it actually wasn't that long after the horrible frenzy she had witnessed amongst the monsters. She was trying her best to forget what she had seen; to cast the gory images from her mind when Professor Carrington had approached her with a purposeful, yet still cold and calculating expression set into his face. She remembered how he had stood above her for she was sitting still bound in her restraints. He had looked down at her like she was a nuisance that he would gladly be rid of if it weren't for whatever motivated him to keep her around…or alive for that matter. And as of that moment, she could only guess as to why he had indeed kept her. And she was subsequently still reeling from the shock of him betraying her being a part of this whole twisted experience._

_However, she did not have to wait much longer to find out, because he had vey abruptly shoved the same damned image of the unknown painting in her face demanding to know more about it. When he had done that, the reason why he kept her supposedly well became a bit clearer. But at the same time it was incredibly confusing. Apparently he wanted to use her for her knowledge of the painting, but she couldn't figure out why. It was puzzling, because he was the expert whom she had sought out for assistance regarding the painting. And yet, through the way that he was asking her what she knew on the matter, it was as if he knew nothing about it. Not only that, but with all that had happened and where they were, which was in itself still a mystery, the painting should've been the least of his worries not his most fierce priority._

_Though what really baffled her was when he had all but forced a thick stack of bound papers at her, becoming even more demanding as he ranted about not understanding what information the papers held. She did not recognize the papers so she concluded that they must have come from his briefcase, and yet he had asked her what they were. When she had looked at them at greater length and inspection she saw that they pertained to the painting, which explained his strong interest in them, for there were digital images of diagrams and sketches that obviously referenced the unknown piece of art. She also noticed the text that was transcribed about the photos were in Italian, and that notion could've explained why he could not understand what they said if it weren't for the fact that he was supposed to be fluent in Italian…at least according to his resume._

_Still, they were in Italian and he apparently could not understand them, and so her thoughts shifted yet again. Only this time she reflected upon what he truly wanted from her and how it had hopelessly bound her to this situation. _

_After his initial bout of frustration, he had then asked her if she could understand the text upon the papers. Unfortunately, at the time she was far too distracted by the papers as she tried to decipher what the title caption in bold read that she absent-mindedly nodded in the affirmative to his demanding inquiry. She remembered how his face then shifted from still mounting frustration to surprised satisfaction and how she had immediately regretted her blunder as he seemed all too pleased at her accidental admission. Her mind had then gotten a bit frazzled after she realized her mistake for she just as quickly tried to amend her verbal slip by telling him that she wasn't all that proficient with the language. However, he had not been dissuaded and had in fact become quite forcefully emphatic that she translate the bound pages. _

_It was so strange to Jillian; the way that he became so intense when he told her that he wanted her to translate the papers. It was almost as if he was trying to influence her to his advantage through the intensity of his focus. But it did not have the effect he had apparently hoped for because it had caused Jillian to become increasingly wary rather than compliant. And what happened next she regretted the most._

_Amidst his forceful persuasions she had interrupted him. She knew not what drove her to do so because he was already immensely imposing and intimidating. But something within her would not let her succumb to his wishes and she had issued a defiant inquiry of her own towards him. She asked him why he couldn't just read the papers for himself since they were his papers and reminded him that he was supposed to be quite adept at speaking Italian. She knew that she had said the wrong thing when his expression had become the darkest one he had seen yet. _

_He had done nothing for what had seemed like the longest time except glare at her with eyes full of contempt. And when he did speak again he did so in a low and dangerous tone, telling her that he was not the man she thought him to be. She was going to then ask him what the hell he meant by that but he had spoken again, effectively snuffing out the unvoiced question in her mind with what he then said. _

_Through his anger induced by her challenge he gave her an ultimatum. He told her that he did not care how much or how little she knew of the language; that whatever amount she did know would be of use to him. He told her that she would translate what the papers said about the painting, and when she had made a face as if to protest he told her that he would gladly leave her to the 'care' of the monsters. She remembered the look of disturbingly smug look on his face as he had watched the waves of shock and horror pass through her own features and felt sickeningly despondent to know that he had played her emotions and fears against her and from that he had her right where he wanted her…_

She didn't realize how deep within her own thoughts she was until her arm was seized by one of the monsters with an iron-clad grip, that she was sure would leave nasty bruises, and forcefully shoved forward.

"Keep moving!" It snarled at her and then choked out a guttural laugh as the momentum behind his violent shove caused her to overcompensate for balance and lurch forward, landing with a thud on her knees as her still bound hands prevented the rest of her from falling completely to the ground.

She could feel the frustration and embarrassment well up inside her causing the beginnings of tears to blur her vision as they threatened to spill from her eyes. She did not want to break down. Not in front of the hideous, vile monsters, and most certainly not in front of Professor Carrington.

So she choked back her emotions as best as she could when one of the monsters stopped to stand above her and pull her with rough abruptness to her feet. And yet she could all she could help thinking as they resumed in their travels was…_I should've listened to Mom and never moved to Chicago…None of this would be happening._

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Legolas knew that they would be stopping soon. It was already quite late in the day as the sun was a great orange orb setting and turning the sky a vibrant coral color with purple tinted clouds painted across its expanse. He knew that very quickly, the same beautifully brilliant sky would start to dim as night followed the sun's path beneath the horizon.

But the lateness of the day was not the only reason indicative of an impending stop. Legolas and Gimli had been riding nearly all day slowing only a couple of times to ease the burden on the horses, and stopping only once for a short while to give the horses an opportunity to graze and themselves a chance for a small midday meal. But still, despite how sturdy and strong their steeds were, Legolas felt that it had been enough for one day for the animals.

The sun that was preparing to set beyond the distant mountains in the west was the mark of the end of a full day since the previous morning where they had left from the place in which they were met by Gandalf. Legolas glanced behind him in the direction from which they had come and was quite pleased by the distance that they had already covered. He was also thankful for the unexpected, and equally fortunate reunion they had had with the wizard and his equine companion, for if that had not occurred Legolas knew that they would not have found their own steeds, and thusly would not have made it this far. Because, as of that moment, they were coming quite near to where Legolas had seen the black smoke.

Even now, as the sky grew darker, Legolas could see the outlines of structures that had been ravaged by what must have been a great fire. The sight of the decimated village in its absolute stillness pulled at Legolas' heart. It was far too still. And from what he could see, he had a sinking feeling that whatever had happened was much too sudden and impactful to have left any alive.

At the same time that Legolas' thoughts dwelled on the destroyed village, Gimli noticed the grieved look that passed over his fair features. He had come to know the elf quite well and the look on his face as he stared at the place where the black smoke had billowed, of which now Gimli could also see, bespoke of his sensitivity and deep compassion for those who were victim to such a suspiciously contained patch of calamity.

Neither of the two companions said anything of the village. Each of them paid their respects in somber silence, for Gimli always felt awkward with such things and Legolas thought that words alone were insufficient in expressing the depth of his sympathies.

The two continued on at a slower pace for the sake of the horses as the sky deepened to a very deep blue that cast the features of the outlying panorama as silhouetted outlines darkened by the encroaching veil of night. And as the day drew to its end, the horses began to neigh softly, shaking and tossing about their manes. These signals from the animals were the signs that their weariness peaked and it was quite time to cease their travels for the day.

"I believe our friends wish to stop for the night." Legolas told Gimli, breaking the long-standing silence that had held after seeing what was at the base of the ill-boding plumes of black smoke.

"Aye! And they aren't the only ones! So does my backside!"

Legolas smiled and laughed at the dwarf, grateful for Gimli's ability to lighten the mood serious and sober mood that had settled over them until then, "Well then we must stop! If it is your backside that wishes so."

"Are ye making fun laddie? Don't be telling me that yer feeling fine after riding all day long!" and when all Legolas did in response was raise a finely arched brow and laugh, Gimli brought his horse to a stop and fixed the elf with a glare that Legolas knew not to take too seriously, "Bah! Well if you are so fit after so long a ride then you can get yer pointy-eared self over here and un-strap me from this beast!"

The dwarf's last little bit of rant caused Legolas to break out in a not often displayed fit of laughter. He was usually fairly good at keeping a steady manner of decorum that was indicative of his more quiet and introspective nature. But Gimli's last comment had broken his hold of that restraint as he thought back to the reason why Gimli had indeed needed to be strapped to the seat of his saddle.

Even though Gimli had taken to the smaller of the two animals thinking that the more compact of the horses would be less of a challenge than the massively tall steed that was paired with Legolas, he however did not expect the smaller steed would be quite so feisty. And he unfortunately did not figure this out until they were well on their way.

It did not help that the saddle that Gimli's horse was fitted with was meant to carry a man, for as they rode faster, Gimli's position in the saddle seat became less sure. And at one point, much to Legolas' amusement, the other horse had given a sudden burst of speed with a surprised and slightly panicked Gimli clinging with desperation to the side of the animal to prevent himself from slipping even further and falling completely off.

After Legolas had caught up with the runaway horse and his disgruntled, half-seated passenger bringing both under control, he had to devise a way to keep Gimli on his horse if they were to continue riding and keep their quick pace as well. So once he had gotten the cantankerous dwarf back on his horse after a short respite and a considerable amount of persuasion, Legolas used the bottom edge of Gimli's cloak to make strips sturdy enough to secure the dwarf in his saddle.

"Quit yer smirking!" Gimli's admonishment brought Legolas back from his amusing memories to the task at hand, "Dwarves are better suited for the ground!"

Legolas smirked at that despite Gimli's command not to, and unable to resist he joked back as Gimli's feet finally met with the earth, "And it would seem horses know of this fact, for they always do their best to reunite you with it."

"Why you rascal!" Gimli swung a fist towards Legolas, landing a light punch to the elf's upper arm.

Legolas only laughed knowing that Gimli was not really mad. The joking and teasing just happened to be a part of their friendship; something that had grown out of the shaky beginnings of their acquaintance. In some ways it was much like their competitiveness on the matter of orc-slaying. But while they were nearly equal in that aspect, save for the one orc lead Gimli had over the elf, Legolas tended to be quicker with wit in that he more easily saw opportunities that embraced it.

It had grown almost completely dark, except for the faint light of the stars and the sliver of moon that showed itself as it rose into position amongst the constellations. There was not much around them in their immediate vicinity so they chose the spot where they stopped as where they would rest for the night.

Gimli was quite content to be on solid ground and was readying his bedroll, but he was concerned that the horses might venture to far off in the night since they had no spot to anchor their reins. He then expressed his concern to Legolas who reassured him that he would be vigilant though out the night to make sure the animals did not get to far off.

Legolas received a reproachful look from his friend as Gimli spoke, "Ye have not slept for two nights now. I know that elves have strange sleeping habits, but even that is too long. We can take watch shifts."

"If that is what you wish," Legolas acquiesced to placate the dwarf before he grew argumentative, "I shall take the first watch."

"Not so fast!" apparently Gimli could find a point to argue regardless of how invisible it was, "Get some rest lad, and I shall wake ye in a few hours."

And so, giving in with an amused sigh, Legolas set his knives, bow, and quiver of arrows neatly together on the ground. He then removed his cloak, folding it to use as a pillow for his head, as he lowered himself to the ground, stretching out alongside his weapons. He could hear Gimli a ways off rummaging through his own belongings most likely in search of something to eat.

As he looked up at the stars from hi reclined position, he couldn't help but to admit that perhaps Gimli was right, for he did feel the faint pull of exhaustion luring him towards reverie. It surprised him how his body seemed to now readily welcome it, but thinking back, his constant wariness since he had first felt that unusual phenomenon a few nights prior had more than likely shielded any inklings of tiredness he might have felt.

Legolas sighed as he allowed himself to relax, hearing the soft rustling of grass as the horses grazed nearby and smelling the distinctive scent of the leaf that Gimli smoked from his pipe, before his consciousness was gently lulled by the twinkling stars that delicately blanketed the night sky.

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It must have been a few hours like Gimli had suggested for Legolas found his consciousness coming into focus upon the gentle nudging of his shoulder. And when he looked toward the source of what had roused him, he saw said dwarf kneeling at his side.

"Tis time for yer watch," Gimli stated quietly as he rose to his full height and made his way back to his bedroll, "Dawn is only a few hours away…just enough time for a little rest."

As Gimli settled into his makeshift bed, Legolas rose from his own to a seated position, "I shall wake you at sunrise."

Legolas expected some form of acknowledgement from his friend, but when he didn't receive any he looked towards Gimli to find that the Dwarf was fast asleep. With an amused shake of his head, he then turned his attention to the horses. After all, the purpose of their taking shifts was to keep a look after the horses to make sure they didn't get to far away. And as of that moment, the horses were only a little further off than they had been before Legolas had laid down to rest. They were not grazing as they had been before, but they seemed contented to remain in that spot until dawn.

So with Gimli sound asleep after his watch, Legolas remained as he was, seated, throughout the remainder of his own watch; his thoughts drifting towards what had happened to the village that was now perhaps within a few hours distance to the north of their current location. It had been almost two days since he had seen the smoke, not knowing that there was a village at its base because of how far off they had been at the time. But now, as he looked towards its broken devastation, Legolas knew that it was not the result of an accidental instance, for there would likely be activity amongst the disarray as villagers tried to contain the damage, rebuild their homes, and set their lives back to the normal state of things. Yet what he saw was nothing but eerie, crumbling, and tattered stillness. He knew something had deliberately caused the village's destruction, but whatever done so was nowhere near and probably long gone by then considering the amount of time that had already lapsed.

Time passed quickly as Legolas' thoughts ruminated between the unfortunate fate of the village and the overall rather sudden recent stirring of unusual occurrences. The new morning was making its presence known as a sliver of blue-grey beginning to illuminate the darkness from the eastern horizon. It was when Legolas was looking out in their intended direction as the sun peaked just over the far off mountains, that he noticed something that had passed his awareness while it was still dark. Even with his keen vision he had not noticed it before, but that was likely because it was quite a good distance off and the darkness of the night had caused it to blend in with the surroundings. It just so happened to be a group of figures traveling in nearly the same direction as he and Gimli were headed. Legolas thought that perhaps the figures might be those from the village who had survived and were now making their way in search for another village between there and Minas Tirith that would take them in. But with the sky continuing to lighten and Legolas' concentration deepening, it was becoming clear to Legolas that these figures were not villagers. Several characteristics of the group stood out most acutely making Legolas frown for there was only one type of group that would move as this group was now moving. He knew from the way in which the group was organized and the swift but heavy manner with which they traveled that this was a group of orcs with some uruk-hai amongst them.

The realization that the figures were in fact orcs caused memories of the war to resurface within Legolas' mind. Specifically, he remembered how valiantly the free peoples of Rohan fought at Helms Deep and how they suffered far too many losses at the hands of the minions that sought nothing but their utter destruction. The memory pained him greatly for the havoc the orc and uruk forces had mercilessly laid upon those who had been there. But what pained him the most were the haunting memories seared into mind of his own kin, who had come to fight beside men, being slain by the likes of those disgusting and disgraceful beasts. Just thinking about it caused anger that he did not readily express to wake and burn within him. And now, even after the ring was destroyed and the people of Middle Earth worked towards healing the many wounds of war, the abhorrent creatures still festered and infected those wounds. As such, the crumbling ashes of the village, without a doubt, were all that was left from the senseless and violent attack that only such vile beings would enjoy.

Those thoughts of the village brought Legolas back from his memories, and he noticed that the sky had grown brighter emphasizing the group's movement towards the east. And since it was lighter, he was better able to count their numbers. There were perhaps twenty five or so of them. Yet he did notice that a good portion of them were uruk-hai, and he shuddered at the thought of what that village had suffered before it had been burned. But the more Legolas studied them he started noticing little inconsistencies in their movements. The orcs and uruk, for the most part, moved at a pretty steady pace, but every so often the line would split as the second half was slowed by something.

Legolas focused his eyes even more and noticed as the latter half of the caravan was once more forced to halt one of the orcs roughly brought a figure that had fallen to its feet. The figure was much smaller and less bulky and without a doubt, of the race of men.

Legolas was baffled and angered at the same time. They had taken a captive! It was not a common habit of theirs to take captives for they drew far too much sadistic enjoyment from ravaging and killing as they went. They were not of the mindset to show any mercy. And keeping any victim alive for longer than what they deemed necessary was sparing more mercy than they could stand to show. So with that knowledge in mind, Legolas was mystified as to why they would have a captive, and for so long, for this person was likely from the ill-fated village. And what was even more disconcerting was that they were headed to the east and the same direction as the unusual phenomenon.

All of these revelations had inspired resolve within him, for it went against every fiber of his being to let that person suffer at the hands of those monsters. So he thought and planned in his mind and concluded that they would pursue the group. For one thing, it was along their path, and if he and Gimli followed with speed they could likely come within a reasonable distance by nightfall, allowing the sky as it would darken to conceal their approach.

And so their course of action firmed within his mind, Legolas rose into action, waking the still slumbering dwarf. He informed his friend of the new events that he had witnessed while he re-suited with his weapons and Gimli re-packed his belongings for travel. He knew that Gimli would recognize and agree with the mounting reasons why he wished to lay chase to the orcs, for everything that he told his companion set off the dwarf's much more superstitious nature as the coincidences and anomalies presented themselves one after the other.

Once Gimli was upon his horse, Legolas assisted him in strapping him in the saddle once more so that he could ride with the speed necessary to gain ground upon the orcs without falling from his horse. After that, he pulled himself swiftly and gracefully upon his own steed and set forth establishing the proper pace to reach their new target in the darkness of night.

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It had been a long day. And Jillian had a feeling that the night was going to feel just as long. It was already quite dark. If she had to guess she would say that it was just an hour or so shy of midnight. But it was hard to tell because the sky was cloudy that night. The monsters had finally stopped after a full day of consistent, arduous travel, though only because the professor had willed it, likely because his weariness did not allow him to press on. If it weren't for that, Jillian suspected that they would probably still be traveling.

Currently, the place where they stopped was nestled up against a large island of trees and vegetation upon the landscape that was visible to them all when they had been traveling. Before their rest destination had been decided upon, Jillian had the impression that the monsters would have stopped anywhere. But the professor was the one who ultimately decided where they had stopped. And apparently his choice to stop where they had was not by mere coincidence, for it was a very convenient spot to gather wood and kindling to build fires. Only now did Jillian realize that the professor had more reasons for wanting to be able to readily build campfires other than as sources of light and warmth.

The first thing that the professor wanted now that they were stationary was for the monsters to start a large campfire for which they all would gather around, and so, after he skillfully manipulated them, a number of the monsters delved into the thick plant-life carving and hacking at anything they could. But he also wanted a few of them to build a smaller fire a little further off, just around the edge of some large unruly bushes. Once the fires were roaring strongly, the professor grasped her upper arm firmly and pulled her aside towards the smaller fire. She was confused. Apparently he had wanted the smaller fire built for her but she didn't know why. When they reached the fire, he released her and gestured for her to sit within its range of light. She had just barely taken her seat when he forced her belongings to her along with the transcript.

"You will begin translating."

Just as he issued his command, she heard a rising commotion come from the other fire. _So that's why I'm over here… _she thought, noting that it would be difficult for her to focus on what he wanted her to do around the noisy monsters… _He sure has given this a lot of thought…_

"I saw that you have the necessary implements in your bag."

Her brow furrowed as she took the things he shoved at her …_What the hell?! He's been going through my things?!?!_ When she had a more secure grip on her bag she was able to tell that it was much lighter than it had been before. Especially considering that she had managed to stuff her purse down in what little room was left in the over-crowded carryall.

When she opened the bag's flap, she discovered that the majority of her papers and files were no longer there. All that was left was a blank legal pad, some writing utensils, and much to her annoyance, her blasted shoes. But she grew quite wary when she realized that her purse was among the missing items and demanded, "Where's the rest of my things?"

He looked down at her, perhaps a little too pleased at her displeasure of finding her belongings absent, "I decided to hold on to them."

She was about to ask him why, but he continued as if he already knew what she was going to say, "besides you will be far too busy translating to have need of them."

She was beyond frustrated at that point, and cast a frustrated glare at him. But this seemed to amuse him even more so she looked down at her still bound hands just so she didn't have to look at his smug features.

"Aren't you going to untie my wrists?" she managed to ask through gritted teeth, "How am I supposed to do this all tied up?"

His only reaction as he turned away, acknowledging two of the monsters that made their way to the small fire, was to raise a single brow that made his scrutiny of her all the more condescending, "You will manage."

And with that, he made to leave via the path around the heavy brush that led back to the larger campfire. But just as he was about to edge around the scrappy looking shrubs at the tip of the cluster of vegetation, he halted. When he was sure he had her undivided attention, he nodded towards the two monsters that had made themselves comfortable on the other side of the fire, "They will keep watch of you…It would be unwise for you to try and run off."

She glared after him as he disappeared beyond the edge of the bushes. _Bastard!_ She then gave herself a few minutes to let the anger and frustration that had built up to fizzle down to a more manageable state and shifted her focus to the warm flickering glow of the fire. It held her attention for the longest time for it was the only bright and cheerful thing she had seen recently. But a movement just beyond the fire caused her attention to shift, as she realized it was one of the monsters leering at her just over the tips of the dancing flames. With a sudden flush of unease, she swiftly directed her focus to the papers that sat in her lap. Despite how much she loathed the idea of actually taking up the task that she had been coerced into, Jillian gladly retrieved the pad and a pen to begin translating. Anything to distract her from the foul beings across from her.

A couple hours had passed and Jillian was quite pleased that the translating did in fact, help her to not focus on all the unpleasant aspects of her situation. She hadn't made much progress. In fact, all she had managed to translate was a few sentences with her rather rusty grasp of the Italian language. And even those sentences had a few words that had stumped her. But she was grateful for the wonderfully distracting challenge that translating proved.

She was in the middle of a small mental celebration for having remembered a particularly stubborn word, when the rough, scratchy voice of the monsters grabbed her attention.

"What is it?" It asked the other monster.

"I smell something."

The first monster sniffed heavily at the air trying to detect what the other one apparently had smelled, "I don't smell nothing. You're just imagining it."

"I am not!" the other one raised his voice in obvious annoyance that his fellow monster would dismiss his observation so casually, "I smelled it! The wind blew it this way!"

Jillian watched as the irritated monster rose abruptly to his full height and stalked his way away from the fire and towards the bend in the tree-line that stood against the thick darkness of night that extended far beyond it.

"Where are you going?!

"To see what's out there!"

Jillian looked with slight weariness to the darkness where the monster had gone in search of whatever he thought he smelled. She hadn't thought of anything being out in the darkness before while she was translating. But now that the idea was introduced to her mind, she couldn't help but wonder what might be out there.

She was trying yet again to replace her increasingly worrisome thoughts by focusing once more on the slow-going but effort-demanding task of translating, when just a barely audible rustle of the bushes where the one monster had gone into, reached her ears. She glanced up expecting to see him coming back through to return to his spot by the fire. But after a few moments nothing happened; nothing emerged from the shadows. She thought to herself that it was probably nothing but an animal moving through the bushes and that she had nothing to be worried about. Yet she couldn't help the apprehension that caused her to wonder how big the animal was or when the last time it was that it had eaten. And try as she might, she just couldn't seem to get back into the groove of translating no matter how hard she tried.

As she stared at the pages before her, she heard the muffled sound of a thump through the crackling and popping of the fire in front of her. And when she looked up and across to where the monster sat, she was startled to see that it wasn't there anymore. Her eyes widened, suddenly very nervous that she couldn't see where he was. What made her even more nervous was how little noise had been made, for during her exposure to these monsters she had come to learn that they were anything but subtle or silent.

She slowly stood, having a little difficulty due to her still bound hands, and looked around cautiously as she did so. When she was fully upright, she could see beyond the fire and discovered that the monster was still there. But the reason that she couldn't see him before was that he was laying face down in the dirt with something long and narrow protruding from his back. At closer inspection, she could see that it was an arrow; a finely crafted and expertly fletched one that was beautiful and dangerous all at once.

Jillian's heart was pounding as her eyes darted about frantically in search of whoever fired that arrow. But she saw and heard nothing; everything about the smaller campsite was still aside from the lively flames of the fire. She started backing away from the downed monster, her thoughts in disarray as to what was happening, and when she started to turn she caught a glimpse of a strange man who had apparently been behind her. She let out a strangled gasp as she tried to run from him only to find herself restrained from behind in his very firm grasp with a hand over her mouth to stifle the panicked squeak that had just barely left her lips.

She tried to struggle against whoever he was, but found that he was very strong for the strength of his grip only increased as she fought to free herself. Only did she cease her struggling when a soft, smooth, and masculine voice spoke quietly in her ear.

"I am sorry to startle you so badly…but I did not want to draw even more attention," when it was clear that she would make no additional protest, he continued, "I can help you escape these fouls creatures."

By that claim, even though she was still uncertain of this new stranger, she felt herself begin to relax at the genuineness she detected in his tone when he spoke. He must have been able to sense that she was growing more at ease by his presence, even if only by a small bit, for his grip on her lessened to a more comfortable level as he spoke softly once more.

"I am not going to hurt you, please do not scream…it would no doubt attract the lot of them." And after a brief moment, she felt him gently remove his hand from over her mouth.

When she in fact did not scream, he slowly and just as gently released her from his grip and allowed her to jump away from his proximity. Once she was lose, she spun around to look at this man who, from out of nowhere, promised the opportunity to escape the monsters, Professor Carrington, and the whole wretched situation that she had become mired in since that fateful decision to ride the confounded elevator.

As she finally faced him and was able to get a good long look, he found herself at a complete loss for words in spite of the fact that she intended on demanding to know who the hell he was and why he was sneaking around, for even in the darkness with only the firelight to illuminate his features, Jillian was stunned by how absolutely beautiful he was. He was even beautiful as she watched his brows furrow in a look of concern as he took in her appearance. He slowly approached her, his eyes capturing hers, and despite the suddenness of what had just happened, Jillian found herself lost in the depths of his clear blue eyes.

She only realized how distracted his gaze had made her when his eyes lowered breaking the visual contact. And she felt her hands spring free of their snug bindings belatedly noticing the rope that fell away as he sheathed a small knife at the side of his belt. And then with compassion and concern that she had not experienced of late, he brought her attention back t the present when he spoke, "I am surprised you are still alive…Orcs are not known to take captives and let them live for long."

She looked to him with a confused expression, "Orcs?...The monsters?"

He nodded as he returned her confused look with one of his own, and looked like he was about to say something when his attention abruptly shifted in the direction of the other, larger fire. She wondered what had so suddenly caused him to look that way, but then she started to make out the sounds of the monsters beyond the dividing hedge of wild plants growing more raucous and wild.

When she looked back to the beautiful man he was looking back at her with confusion still in his eyes, "The man…at the other fire…is he not a captive as well?"

The mention of Professor Carrington caused her jaw to tighten and her eyes to narrow, as she shook her head vehemently to indicate that he was not, "No…this was all his idea."

She watched as his brows furrowed once more at her revelation, but he didn't press the matter. Instead he walked back towards the smaller fire, speaking as he did so, "As I said before, I can help you escape. But we must leave immediately for they will not be happy when they discover their comrades dead and you missing. It would be best to be far off when that happens."

He then nodded towards the ground where her bag sat, "You should gather your belongings."

He turned and made his way back to the monster on the other side of the fire, pulled the arrow from its neck, and was in the process of wiping it clean on the edge of his long cloak when Jillian posed a question causing him to pause, "Why do you want to help me?"

His eyes met hers, and Jillian was overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze and the concern that radiated from him, "So that you may live."

All she could do was nod slowly and stare dumbly at him after he said that, watching as he added the sufficiently cleaned arrow to the rest that she just noticed he carried at his back.

"You should gather your things," He repeated, breaking her of her stare, "We must leave now."

She nodded once more, this time more fervently in acknowledgment of his expressing the need for haste, and rushed back to her bag, stuffing the scattered papers that were around it within its main compartment. Once everything was inside she quickly made her way over to where he patiently waited, slinging the bag over her shoulder as she went.

Despite the nervousness she felt building inside her, her instincts kept telling her to trust him and go with him. And when she looked up at him once more, he gave her a soft smile to reassure her, "Let us be off."

And he turned, gesturing for her to follow him as he lead her in to the darkness and away from the hopelessness that was left behind in the wake of her escape.

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Phew!!! That one was even longer than the last! But I had a lot to fit in ^_^ Next time we'll see how she reacts to him once its daytime *snickers*

Please everyone review and let me know what you think, I greatly value your opinions =)


	5. Chapter 5

Hello wonderful readers! I am sorry for taking so long to update, but alas, the fall semester has started and is being a butt-head usurping all my time (and money! Grrrr!)

I want to give thankyou's to all who have been reading and reviewing ^_^ you all get me even more inspired!

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR or any of the affiliated characters; only writing this for fun ^_^

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They made a swift flight into the night; not speaking or looking back. Legolas wanted to be far away from the foul orcs once they discovered their prisoner missing with her guards dead in the wake of her disappearance.

Being that he could be swift and silent and possessed more heightened senses that allowed him a greater advantage in the darkness, he had approached the band of orcs and uruk-hai alone. Not that he thought that Gimli was incapable or would be a hindrance, because his friend proved on more than one occasion to be a very adept warrior, but given the presence of a captive, they both came to the conclusion that Legolas should infiltrate their midst alone. And it would have also been difficult to un-strap Gimli from his horse's saddle only to have to re-strap him to it, especially if they needed to get away quickly. Gimli was not offended by the choice at all, and in fact, he saw it as a fit opportunity to look after the horses so Legolas could make his stealthy approach. So now, since Legolas was able to successfully sneak upon the campsite undetected, he was leading the woman back to the place where Gimli awaited with the horses with all the haste he could.

But even with the quick pace that he set, Legolas made sure that the woman would be able to keep up with him. He knew not of what she had to endure in the presence of the orcs and he did not wish to inflict further strain upon her, so he tried to make their path as easy for her as possible given the circumstances. Though they still moved quickly, for as eager as Legolas was to put as much distance between them and the orcs as possible, he felt she was even more eager than he to leave her captors behind.

They were getting closer to where Gimli waited with the horses, for the orc's campsite was now only a small spot behind them where the two fires appeared only as large as candle flames. Legolas could also see with his elven sight, the outline of the horses with Gimli's form upon one of them, waiting in the distance ahead of them.

From the corner of his eye, Legolas' attention was grabbed by the movement of the woman as she shifted the bag that carried her belongings from one shoulder to the other, and he found the focus of his thoughts drifting towards her. He was surprised when he first had come upon the camp to find that the captive was, in fact, a woman. It wasn't so much of a surprise that the orcs and uruk-hai would take a woman for hostage, because they indeed were actually more likely to abduct a woman…for reasons that Legolas did not want to think of. But when he was watching the band of ruthless creatures from afar, he had kept an especially close watch on their mortal prisoner. And from his vantage point, he had expected to come to the aid of an older boy, or perhaps a rather young and thin man just based on the perceived size of the individual and the plain garb of a long-sleeved tunic and some trousers.

But her femininity was quite apparent when he had watched her profile as her eyes had widened with surprise and trepidation after he had shot down her second guard. And it was especially apparent when he had to grab her from behind with a hand over her mouth to stifle her surprised scream. And when she had spun around to face him at her full height, her figure was clearly female despite her dirty and more masculine clothing.

Though, even if she was quite unkempt she did not appear to be badly injured or abused. Which was quite unusual, and Legolas had a feeling it had something to do with the man in the orcs' midst whom she had insisted was not a prisoner like she. He was skeptical of her claim at first, especially since he had felt that same unnerving sensation when he had reached the camp that had first assaulted him several nights ago. He wasn't sure of what to make of it, and his logic kept telling him that he should be wary of what she said, especially given her unorthodox appearance and rather strange accent when she spoke. But when she looked to him, looked into his eyes, he sensed none of the malevolent aura in her that was oppressively seeped into the surrounding vicinity of the orc camp.

His focused scrutiny of the recent events was interrupted when he heard the woman clear her throat as if to speak. And when he turned his head to look at her more fully, he saw that she was biting her lower lip and peering at him from the corner of her eye, looking as though she wasn't quite sure how to address him. So she remained silent for a moment more before abruptly but quietly speaking.

"Thankyou."

Her utterance ended as abruptly as it had begun. And Legolas looked to her inquisitively, thinking that she perhaps had more to say, and so she continued, though she fumbled with her speech, "For…getting…me out of there."

He gave a small smile to reassure her and hopefully help set her mind at ease, and a slight nod to acknowledge her gratitude, "I could not leave your fate to be decided by those foul beasts."

He watched as she nodded in response, though he could still detect her uncertainty at everything that was currently happening.

"Fear not," he told her as he saw her glance back nervously in the direction that they had previously fled, "We shall be a long way off before they realize you are gone."

After a while, when she didn't say anything else, Legolas knew that their very brief conversation was over. But he didn't mind, for he could tell that part of her reluctance to talk was due to her unfamiliarity with him, having only just met him. And their first meeting wasn't exactly a standard one by any means. Besides, they would be joining Gimli and the horses in a short while. It was best to focus on getting to where Gimli waited rather than making acquaintance with one another quite yet.

Yet despite the relief that Legolas felt in knowing that they were putting greater distance between them and the orcs, and that they would be able to put an even greater distance between the disgusting beings and themselves once they were on horseback, his anxiety was renewed when he glanced back towards the orc-camp one more time and saw a flurry of activity of activity in the form of frantically moving silhouetted figures moving against the light from the fires. It seemed that the orcs discovered her absence more quickly than he would have thought. And that made him nervous, for they were still close enough to track them by foot.

He knew that they could reach the horses if they ran, and he recaptured her attention when he spoke with urgency, "We must hurry."

Her head snapped up at his sudden warning and she looked to him, confusion and concern in her expression.

"What's wrong?" She asked. And he watched her as she traced his line of sight back to the camp and saw the realization that spread rapidly across her face as she then whispered, "Oh no…"

"You must follow quickly behind me…a friend of mine awaits ahead with horses…we must reach him as quickly as possible if we are to put enough distance between us and those beasts," He told her quickly, "We must run…You need to keep close."

She nodded at his adamant instructions, and he noted that she seemed a bit bewildered by this rapid change of events, but she also appeared very determined to not be caught by the orcs again. So he gave her a final nod before he turned and took up a swift stride in the direction where Gimli waited. And he could hear her rapid breathing as she did her best to follow closely behind him.

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"Arg! Where are ye laddie?!"

Gimli was growing just as antsy and anxious as the horses that he watched over. Legolas had gone afoot to sneak upon the group of orcs and uruk silently so that he could aid the captive without them getting hurt in a fray. For even though he and the elf were very skilled and accomplished fighters, it would have been very risky to the prisoner if they had charged in setting the gathering of orcs in chaos. No…it was better that the elf went alone. After all, the lad could be sneakier than himself. And much more light-footed, as was such with all elves.

But Legolas had not returned yet. And that made Gimli fidget with even more anxiety and anticipation. It felt that he had been waiting for hours, but he knew that it had not been that long, despite how much his stiffened backside protested. He was, after all, still seated and strapped to his horse's saddle. All the better to make a hasty getaway. And yet, the hasty retreat that he and his friend had prepared for could not be put to use until Legolas returned.

With a frustrated sigh, Gimli returned his focus to the direction that Legolas had headed, towards the yellow-orange glow upon the horizon that signified the spot where the orcs had made their camp. But instead of seeing the steady glow that the fire created as he had before, Gimli now saw flickers of black darting from side to side in front of the fire. The motions were too chaotic to mean anything other than that the horrid creatures were aware of the elf's presence in some capacity. And he couldn't help the sudden sense of worry that consumed him. He knew that Legolas was perfectly capable of defending himself, but still…he had made such a fierce friend in Legolas that it bothered him having to wait here in the darkness with the horses and not being able to aid the elf.

He had just settled into the conviction to set forth to aid his friend when the horses started to grow even more anxious than they already were; snorting and dancing about in their sudden bout of excitement. Not only did their actions distract him of his thoughts but they also made him nervous; he knew that animals were sensitive to things that even he could not detect, so it set his nerves on edge to think of what inspired the horse's behavior.

The horse that bore Legolas as his rider, whom the elf had given his lead to Gimli before he had set out, was shifting, pawing, puffing air through his nostrils, and causing Gimli's own horse to fidget. Gimli was so focused on trying to not fall of his horse, even though he was still strapped to the saddle, that a rather sudden and abrupt stillness that took place of the horses' previous anxious behavior allowed Gimli to better hear the peripheral sounds around him. And one thing he heard was the very familiar voice of the elf quietly soothing the tall animal in elvish.

"Legolas!" Gimli exclaimed with a mixture of relief and annoyance, "Tis about time laddie! I saw something happening around that fire and was hoping ye weren't in trouble!"

The tall horse started at Gimli's boisterous acknowledgement of his friend's presence, and Legolas softly stroked the animal's velvety muzzle to calm the creature once more as he peered out from the darkness beyond the other side of the horse.

"I am fine Gimli," Legolas smiled at Gimli's concern, for he had had a feeling that he would be reprimanded by the dwarf upon his return. But his smile faded to a more sober expression as he turned back to the other side of the horse, his tone growing more serious as well, "But we need to leave here now…with all haste."

And Legolas quickly and with his usual grace, mounted his steed. Gimli was just going to ask what had happened at the orc-camp; why the area was suddenly littered with frantic activity, and what had transpired with the captive, when Legolas directed his next comment in a calm but urgent fashion towards the other side of his tall animal companion.

"Take my hand."

Gimli watched as the elf reached down and pulled a figure upon the horse behind him as if the person were weightless. Apparently this shocked the person, for they issued a surprised squeak at Legolas' swift movement and uncanny strength. After hearing the person that was now seated upon the horse, Gimli realized that their plan must have run somewhat smoothly as Legolas had indeed led the captive out of the clutches of the horrid monsters.

Yet Gimli was surprised at the voice, for it was quite clearly feminine. And he tried to get a look at their new refugee-companion but could not see her beyond the elf's shoulder.

Legolas must have seen the questioning look upon his face, for he preemptively stated, "Now is not the time Gimli…now, we must ride." He then looked back over his shoulder and addressed the newcomer, "You must hold tight."

And Gimli just barely registered a pair of arms wrap themselves around the elf's torso and tighten significantly as Legolas spurred his horse forward. Apparently any discussion and clarification of events would have to wait now that his friend had set forth. So Gimli urged his own horse after him and whatever would come of these new developments.

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They had been riding hard for quite a while. At least it was long enough for Legolas to feel comfortable with the distance they had gained. It was also long enough that the sky was gradually fading from the deep blue, almost black color of the night to a more steel blue that indicated the quickly approaching dawn. It was also long enough and far enough that they were able to slow their pace, for Legolas felt bad for having to push everyone so hard only hours before. For while he was alert, and so Gimli seemed to be as well, the horses were not the only ones feeling fatigued because of the harried and anxiety-laden events that had occurred in the previous night.

The woman must have been truly exhausted, for as soon as they had slowed down, her grip of him slackened, though she still held on. And just as quickly as she had relaxed her hold, Legolas felt the weight of her body leaning against his back, with her head resting between his shoulders.

Legolas heard Gimli chuckle and he turned his attention to the dwarf to find that even though he looked ahead and not at him, and even through the thickness of the dwarf's scruffy, full beard, amusement consumed most of his friend's features. Especially when Legolas' eyes widened as the woman's hands slipped from their grip around his torso to rest upon his thighs. At that point, Legolas couldn't help the warmth of the blush that was spreading across his cheeks and up his ears. But, even though Gimli found the elf's current situation highly entertaining, a portion of his expression was marked by curiosity and a fair bit of wariness towards the unknown person slumped against Legolas' back.

They continued to ride as the sky lightened, though at a much calmer pace. And ever so often, Legolas would look backwards to where the band of orcs and uruk-hai had been. He felt confident in their distance away from the awful beings. But he still wanted to monitor their actions. So far they had not done much but regroup after the incident from the night before. And despite how harmless that may have seemed, Legolas' instinct kept telling him that they would not let the woman get away so easily.

And if her claim of the mortal man amongst the orcs being the cause of her capture was indeed accurate, then he couldn't help but think that the man would concoct some plan to get her back within his clutches. Even more so, she did not seem…broken. So, although their plans for her were still unknown to him, Legolas felt that they were significant and ill-boding in the fact that she apparently had not suffered the usual treatments and tortures that orcs and uruk-hai reserve for their captives.

Legolas' thoughts ruminated for a bit on what was intended for the woman , and what would have come about from her enforced association with the orcs and that man. The whole situation with the mortal man was even more unnerving to consider, for the orcs and uruk-hai were unusually organized and Legolas could not help but attribute that behavior to the influence of that man. Because of their typically violent nature they weren't very well known for cooperation with any other race, much less amidst themselves. And furthermore, it did not rest well with Legolas to know that the times when they were organized it was under another's control and influence, and most always for reasons that bespoke a far more sinister agenda than the normally crude intentions of the orcs.

He continued to speculate upon the woman's purpose to her captors until the sound of Gimli's voice broke his focused musings,

"So…what holds yer thoughts laddie? What happened last night?"

Legolas turned to acknowledge his friend and recounted the events of his rescue mission; of how he had successfully infiltrated the camp undetected but had to dispose of the two orcs that were apart from the main group because they guarded the woman. And Gimli listened to Legolas' account attentively and when the focus of discussion came to the woman, Legolas noticed how his friend's attention was piqued.

Gimli glanced towards her, his bushy brows furrowing at the increasing clarity of her appearance in the growing morning light, "She is unusual."

Somehow Legolas knew that Gimli would say that and he smiled at the dwarf's observation, "She is."

Apparently Legolas' not having elaborated upon the subject did not settle well with Gimli, for he began to grow flustered as he aimed a barrage of questions and opinions towards his friend.

"Look at her!" Gimli exclaimed even though it would be difficult for Legolas to look upon the woman seated directly behind him, "She certainly does not look as any maiden should! She is filthy! And her hair is short!" he paused to gather a short breath before carrying on, "And what sort of woman is she that she wears trousers?!"

Both of Legolas' brows rose in amusement at Gimli's little rant. His friend was predictably wary of anything out of the ordinary, if the beginning of their own relationship was any indication, particularly on the many occasions when the dwarf witnessed, for the first time, some of Legolas' more obviously elvish traits. So it was no surprise to him that Gimli would react so strongly towards the woman's appearance.

"Tis true that she looks not as most women look, but appearances do not always indicate a person's countenance." Legolas reasoned.

"Bah! I know that!" Gimli bristled before becoming more thoughtful. And a silence had settled between them again aside from the steady rhythm of the horses' steps, until the dwarf spoke up again, "Have ye learned anything from her?"

"I did not learn much…aside from her being profoundly grateful to have been rescued."

Gimli nodded at what Legolas said, but a frown still dominated his features, for his friend's answer had inspired more questions than resolution.

After a heavy sigh, no doubt uttered in frustration, Gimli questioned his friend once more, "Well…has she a name at least?"

The question caught Legolas off guard, regardless of its basic and undeniably justified nature. So much had occurred in such a relatively limited space of time that it did not occur to Legolas that he had not asked the woman for her name; nor had he extend his name in greeting towards her. The previous situation in question was not exactly amenable to such pleasantries seeing as how the mood was tense and stealth was absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of their getaway. In addition to that, he had not sensed any amount of ill-will from the woman which allowed for a sense of comfortableness to suppress the need for formal introductions.

Legolas' thoughts were interrupted by Gimli who questioned yet him again, "Laddie? What be her name?"

"…I do not know…"

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Jillian's state of consciousness was edging towards the side of awareness. She didn't realize that she had fallen asleep until the sound of voices broke the blissful serenity of her slumber.

She was rather disoriented, as she continued to wake up, from a steady rocking motion that betrayed any sense of equilibrium she might have felt. And so she found herself rapidly seeking a more full state of consciousness as a slight panic arrested her senses due to the motion that caused her freshly roused mind to feel that she would fall if she did not anchor herself to the nearest solid thing. So without much effort, she found herself wrapped firmly around a solid and warm form. And as she opened her eyes, not only was her sight greeted by the brightening light of a morning sky, but also by a length of soft and silken golden-blonde hair that tickled her nose as a slight breeze blew across her figure and the person's that she had latched onto.

Her sleep induced confusion was starting to wane as the sight of that fine blonde hair continued to dance lazily across her vision in the light wind. Images from the night before flashed through her memory. They were all so rushed, and many of them consisted of frantic, jarring and jogging motions; as if she were running very fast. And amongst these images a very specific visage appeared with more and more clarity. Someone whose hair was the same blonde as the hair she was currently staring at.

Then she remembered all that had happened before; of how she had still been under the forceful care of those monsters…or orcs…that's what the beautiful man had called them. She remembered how he had suddenly appeared behind her nearly scaring her half to death, but also how he had managed to soothe her frayed nerves with his calm and inviting reassurances. And most of all, she remembered being absolutely flabbergasted that this kind and gorgeous stranger was there to help her. Ultimately, amidst the flood of memories that crowded within her mind, she realized rather belatedly that she was still currently clinging to the aforementioned man and she stiffened, wondering what the hell had granted her that position.

Her cheeks were starting to warm from embarrassment at her body's unconscious actions, and so she held as still as possible…as if that would somehow keep the beautiful man from noticing how she had latched onto him. But, as luck would have it, he noticed her anyway and turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, causing the gold, silken tresses before her to shift across his back that she clung to so fiercely. She dared a glance towards the face that looked back at her and her gaze was met by the same blue eyes that she remembered from before. Though this time they were much more brilliant in the growing daylight, and they sparkled with the hint of a smile that his shoulder concealed from her view.

"Good morning."

His voice carried the same soft masculine tone that she remembered from the night before, and at the same time it held a touch of amusement that Jillian could only assume was inspired by her actions.

For a moment all she did was stare back at him. Partly because she was still slightly groggy and disoriented and partly because she didn't quite know what to say. So when she did respond to his morning salutation she answered with a hint of confusion in her voice, "Good…morning?"

"I trust you are well rested?" he asked as he turned his head to face forward causing her to lose sight of his features, though she could tell by the inflection of his voice that he was apparently still amused.

"…I…uh…yes…" she cringed at her rather unintelligible response. _Well that was smooth, Jill…_

" That is good to hear…" he paused before he continued on, "Though you need not hold on so tightly now…I will not let you fall."

His comment caused the warm blush that still lingered on her cheeks to spread even further over her face, neck, and chest.

She was just managing to get her embarrassment under control once again when a noise to the other side of her caused her to jump at its suddenness. She jerked her attention towards it and was greeted by the sight of a horse bearing a rather solid and stocky man with the bushiest red hair upon his head that was echoed by his beard and brows.

Thoughts materialized and danced about in her mind at the sight of him. The first thought being her wondering why this bushy haired man was regarding her with such an expression of guarded hostility. His current critical gaze made her want to avert her own. And through the thoughts that his scrutiny of her had inspired, she managed to recall the blonde man mentioning a friend. Apparently this new person must be the friend that he spoke of when they were running from the monsters in the night. At that time, despite the tense atmosphere, she had subconsciously assumed that his friend would be be…well…not what she was seeing…But aside from that, he quite obviously did not think that much of her.

She braved another look in the direction of this friend, but he had urged his horse to trot ahead, which caused her to realize that the source of the motion that compelled her to grasp the beautiful man was in fact a horse. A very tall horse whose height was especially emphasized when she looked down at her side and realized just how far from the ground she was. She wasn't normally afraid of heights, but a recent experience with an elevator inspired a little bit of a reaction that influenced her unconscious reactions yet again, for her grip tightened once more around the firm, lean torso in front of her.

"Milady?" he half-coughed from her rather abrupt grip that she adopted once more.

Amidst her second small panic, she was distracted by the way in which he addressed her. It just sounded so odd to her, as she was used to being referred to as 'miss' or… and the thought of the other term 'm'am' caused her to cringe…She was only twenty-six for crying out loud! Surely she hadn't reached the 'm'am' stage yet… there were several more years between her and that title, and she didn't particularly care to rush it…although it did give her a rather satisfying sense of authority. But the eloquence of his address of her completely threw her for a loop. So much so, that she just stared at him dumbfounded as he turned his head to regard her once more.

"Are you well?"

The concern in his voice was reassuring to her, enough to the point where she was able to, albeit not that articulately, respond in kind to him.

"…I've never….ridden…."

He patiently waited for her to gather her words, his eyes still showing the concern amid his distractingly flawless features, also glittered with something that caused her cheeks to flush for what felt like the umpteenth time and her to rush forth with the rest of her response that wasn't much more intelligible than its beginning, "This horse is tall!"

If her embarrassment was apparent before, it most certainly was now, for a few moments after she uttered the last bit of her jumble of words, her ears were met with mirthful laughter. She could feel the heat radiating from her ears as the beautiful man continued to chuckle. He turned to look at her over his shoulder again, and seeing the hue of her face and the way in which she was trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible, he apologized for his laughter.

"Forgive me," he had surprised himself in his reaction to her reaction of the tall animal they were currently astride. It was never his intention to cause her shame, "That is not what I expected to hear…" he no longer laughed, but his face held a smile, "But yes…Tombellas is a tall horse."

Her embarrassment was still present and she mentally berated herself for her little spaz-spat. But she was distracted from her focus of her verbal foible when he continued speaking, and it was clear that his goal was to shift the focus of conversation.

"May I ask your name? Understandably there was not much opportunity for introductions as we fled the orcs."

So much had happened, and she felt so relieved to be away from the monsters that something so simple as exchanging names hadn't occurred to her until he just now mentioned it.

"Uh…my name's Jillian." She managed to say with minimal amounts of tripping over her own tongue.

"Jillian…" He pronounced her name slowly, the sound of it uttered from his mouth made her name seem far more elegant than it ever had before, "It is nice to have a name to know you by," he paused shortly, "I am Legolas," and continued as he gestured towards his friend, "and this is Gimli."

She nodded her acknowledgement absent-mindedly, halfway distracted by a derisive snort that came from the bushy-bearded man whose name apparently was…Gimli…, and halfway from the unusual names themselves that the beautiful man…Legolas…had shared. It was all so unusual. Everything that had happened to her, from the weird thing that happened in the elevator, to ending up in a place that was obviously nowhere near Chicago, to being captured by monsters…actual **monsters**, to escaping with this beautiful stranger with a really weird name.

A silence had settled over the three as they continued riding at a mellow pace. The sky was becoming even brighter as the sun fully roused from its hiding spot beneath the horizon and Jillian couldn't help but ponder over the weirdness of everything about this unknown place. Her mind was quickly becoming overwhelmed by all the little details of the past few days that she could remember, that she noticed little of the land that passed them by as they rode, until the voice of the bushy-haired man Gimli interrupted her rampant thoughts.

"What do ye see laddie?"

Jillian looked from Gimli to Legolas and saw that the blonde-haired man was staring intently at a spot on the distant landscape.

"The orcs…they head north and east towards Mordor..." Legolas reported, "…and they have been joined by more…"

Jillian looked in the direction he was staring and tried to see what he saw, but despite how hard she squinted she could not see anything but a sprawling vista, and she couldn't help the anxiety that swelled within her with a sudden ferocity, "There are more monsters?!"

"At least they are heading away." Gimli commented.

"Yes… but there is a small band of them heading this way…they are no doubt tracking us." Legolas replied with all seriousness, "…we need to ride…back to Minas Tirith…we would be far safer to head for the fortified walls of the city than continuing out in the open."

Worry took hold of Gimli's features and Jillian saw him nod in agreement with Legolas. And having a feeling that they would likely be riding rather quickly Jillian wrapped her arms around Legolas once more, not caring if Legolas minded or not, only caring that they get to safety, to this Minas Tirith place before the monsters caught up with them. And so they set out, shifting their course away from the harm that gave chase.

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Please review and let me know what you think ^_^ I really appreciate the feedback!

AN: I am going to be quite busy, since I have started my fall term of classes. I have two history courses that are going to be a lot of reading and writing for me so my next update may be awhile in coming. I'm not going to give up this story, I promise! (I'm having too much fun writing it!) just let me get my course load under control ^_^

Next time: Jillian will be less flustered by all that has happened to her (because she's been through a LOT) She will also become more aware of her saviors' more…unusual attributes ^_~ The three will also get a bit of respite in which some surprises are in store for elf and dwarf ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Hello Lovely Readers!!!!!! I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry that I took so long to update! Unfortunately, life, classes, term papers, finals, and holiday madness kidnapped me and held me hostage. But things settled down a bit after Christmas, so I specifically devoted the majority of my time to getting Chapter 6 reader for you all ^_^

Please let me know what you think, how you like it. And thankyou!thankyou!thankyou! To everyone who is reading and reviewing. You guys are awesome!!!!

Disclaimer thingy: I don't own any thing pertaining to LOTR. *pouts*

* * *

Jillian had come to a definitive conclusion. Horseback riding was officially not for her. Their previous jaunt upon the enormous and rapidly moving animals did not seem as bad as this one. Perhaps that was due to the fact that she didn't have much opportunity to actually process the whole experience fully, being that the foremost thought in her mind had been to get as far away from those monsters as possible. And on top of that she was overly exhausted. But this time she was much more aware. Aware of her surroundings and particularly aware of her present company. But the thing she was most aware of, was how much her head was starting to hurt due to her teeth clattering with every jaw-jarring gallop the horse she was astride made.

What was even worse was that the beautiful blonde-haired man…Legolas…didn't seem bothered in the least by the whole endeavor. She noted irritably that he rode with such ease; his body adjusting smoothly to every one of the horses strides. He didn't even seem all that bothered that she was once again clinging to him with the most rigid and secure grip she could muster. In fact, he didn't seem troubled by anything apart from the monsters, a few of which he had insistently claimed were in pursuit of them. Which would be the reason why they were currently flying like bats out of Hell in the direction leading away from the track their hunters were laying chase.

Through her aggravated thoughts that were rattling around in her brain in time with the hoof-beats of their urgently moving transports, Jillian wondered upon why he had claimed that they were being followed. It just didn't make sense to her, for she had looked and squinted and strained to see these pursuant monsters, but she saw nothing. Nothing aside from the vast expanse of untouched land that made her feel even smaller than she felt atop the exceedingly tall horse.

And because of that, she just couldn't see how it was possible for him to see the monsters when she herself couldn't even locate the camp where they had held her captive. She had fairly normal eyesight, and while she could male out the very distant forms of trees and geographical features that appeared tiny with distance, the monsters were nowhere within her visual range. But she figured that he somehow must be able to see them, despite how farfetched it seemed to her, because his grumpy red-haired friend did not dispute the matter at all.

Ultimately, she resigned herself to just going with the flow of things, because these two men not only had shown her no harm, but they also genuinely seemed to want to help her. Well… Legolas did at least… his cantankerous friend didn't really show much concern for her beyond scrutinizing her with guarded criticism. But he had already demonstrated that he trusted his companion implicitly and did not question her presence thusly. She also decided that her best option was in going with the flow, in that she didn't really have a better option aside from her rescuers at this point, for she still had no idea where she was. And the further they traveled, the more it was apparent that she was not going home any time soon.

The sky had grown brighter as they rode on, and when she glanced around her she was once more confounded and overwhelmed by the vastness of the nature around her. For now that she no longer was in the presence of those whom she deemed dangerous, she found her thoughts turning to where she was. A growing worry was mounting within her, because she didn't know where she was, and what's more… it had been far too long for her to remain unknowing. It did not help either to know that though her rescuers were taking her away from danger, they were also taking her somewhere she did not know nor had she ever heard of.

As a stone rolling downhill only goes faster the farther it rolls, Jillian's concerns mounted proportionally as she continued to ruminate upon her increasingly worrisome thoughts. Knowing that she had been in this strange land already for more than a few days, she wondered what was happening at home. She pondered as to what her boss must have thought to discover both her intern and visiting colleague were nowhere to be found. Was she mad? Concerned? Jillian normally had impeccable attendance and work ethic. Had it been long enough that someone noticed that she wasn't even at her apartment either? Her stomach sank at the thought of her being gone long enough for a missing persons report to be filed. And that thought immediately made her think of her parents and what they must be thinking or feeling if they knew she was not in Chicago.

She started feeling guilty at the thought of her parents. Her mother had been so insistent that she not go to Chicago; she had kept asking Jillian why she couldn't find a museum nearer to their family home. Jillian assumed it was her mother being overprotective and not wanting her only child to move so far away that had prompted such vehement opposition, as her father had to consistently reassure her mother that Jillian would be alright. Her father was more supportive of Jillian's wishes; she knew he only wanted what would make her happy. But she could tell that he really didn't want to send her off to a city so far from home, despite how happy he seemed for her. But now, thinking of her parents and how they had felt about her moving to Chicago made her feel guilty for leaving home in the first place. She loved her parents very much, and the thought of causing them any worry made Jillian increasingly despondent.

In all likelihood, Jillian would have continued stewing in her mounting anxieties if the man sharing his seat upon the tall horse hadn't turned his head to glance over his shoulder and acknowledge her. He was telling her something, she realized belatedly... but her already frazzled mind just couldn't focus on his words to make any sense of them, for it was too busy trying to rationalize what the daylight was now illuminating. There, against the side of his head crowned in that glorious golden hair, was an ear far too pointy to be formed by any recessive gene that she knew of. Not that she was a geneticist, but the ear that she just couldn't keep from staring at was like nothing she had ever seen before…save for the costume and make-up of characters from the science-fiction programs her father used to watch when she was young.

It took a second, or maybe even a third, time for him to pull her attention back to the present, and even then, the flurry of new questions whizzing about in her head were competing with her somewhat conscious effort to focus once more on what he was saying. He must have been perplexed by the way she was regarding him, for he looked a bit uncertain and fairly concerned when he asked he once more, not being sure if she had heard the first four times, "Are you well?"

Jillian had to fight the waves of embarrassment that overcame her. But it was a losing battle as she felt the heat of flush spread across her cheeks and up her own ears.

"Um…yeah…I'm fine…"

She just barely caught the twitch of his eyebrow raising that indicated that perhaps he didn't really believe her. Though she couldn't blame him; she must've seemed overly rude, if not a little touched in the head, by the way she was openly staring at him. But that little gesture of disbelief caused her to take in more of his features now that the daylight hours made them more clear to her eyes. And now she could see that he seemed, by way of appearance, quite… different. Not in a bad way, though. In fact, he was even more beautiful then she had originally appreciated in the dim, veil of the night.

For one thing, his skin was quite fair, but it still held a warmth that many fair-skinned people often lacked. Not to mention that it was flawless! Not a single blemish marred his perfect skin, and that fact made her suddenly more aware of her own imperfections. His features were gracefully proportioned and everything seemed to compliment his overall beauty. But what struck her just as strongly as the uncanny shape of his ears was how the brightness of daylight made his startling blue eyes even more brilliant. And there was something else about his eyes that contributed to the overall sense of…differentness that piqued her curiosity even more, though she couldn't exactly pin-point it.

"Tis nearly midday," he spoke once more, drawing her back from her runaway thoughts yet again, "We are of sufficient distance that we can afford a small respite from traveling." He paused, glancing towards his scruffy friend and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes before he continued, "No doubt Gimli grows hungry."

The only indication that Gimli heard Legolas' teasing comment was with a gruff 'hmph!'. Jillian had a sneaking suspicion that the stout man's lack of reaction was in part due to his friend addressing him in such a manner in her presence. But she didn't really have an opportunity to think upon it because Legolas spoke again.

"I am sure you must be hungry as well."

Jillian found it funny that just his simple utterance of the word 'hungry' would incite such a riot in her stomach. She hadn't gone completely without food since she had arrived in this strange and still unknown place. Luckily, that first day she still had some snack items in her workbag. But those only lasted so long and could only satisfy so much. Not that it really mattered, for the following afternoon was when things went downhill. At the time, she didn't really spare much thought to her state of nourishment due to being completely bewildered by the monsters and infuriated by Professor Carrington's betrayal. Even while she was under close watch of the monsters, she was given water and stale bread.

She was suspicious of the 'nourishment they gave her, especially considering their food preferences. But she couldn't deny her hunger at the time and had examined it thoroughly before it dawned on her that the food which she was reluctantly resigned to consuming, likely came from the decimated village. She remembered feeling guilty for eating the pilfered bread, but eventually she recognized that it would do no good for it to go to waste. She knew her captors were feeding her to keep her from going faint, especially since the professor was using her for information. But, as much as she wanted to deny them the satisfaction of her compliance, she was more concerned with keeping herself well enough in hopes of an escape to freedom.

And now, the source of her freedom was leading them to an outcropping of large rocks and boulders surrounded by green turf and other wild grasses. It was a rather conspicuous spot, Jillian noted as she surveyed the surrounding area. There were other much more concealed groupings of rocks and brush elsewhere nearby and she wondered why Legolas would lead them here if they were supposed to remain 'under the radar." But once they closed in on the spot, Jillian realized why Legolas had picked it, for the horses immediately began grazing on the abundant grasses and Jillian was pretty sure if, given they had the time, they would probably mow the entire patch of grass around them. She regarded Legolas with a respect that was able to make its way past her awed reaction to his physical nature, for she just barely recognized that he had chosen the spot for its plentiful greenery, knowing that the horses would need to refresh themselves despite the lack of any bodies of water nearby as of yet.

When they finally came to a stop, it struck Jillian just how ready she was to get of the darn horse that was the cause of the loss of feeling in her backside. And likely because the universe seemed to find a particularly amusing pastime in toying with her as of late, Jillian realized as her body grew less tense, due to lack of movement from the horse that nature and her bladder took to accordance with the universe's schemes. She recognized that all too familiar urgency at the same time that she remembered that she was in the middle of nowhere, out in the open, and in the company of two men whom she had only just met. She really hoped that she would have somewhere more private to relieve herself. Luckily…well, given the circumstances…she had plenty of natural barriers like trees, shrubs, and what not to maintain a tiny shred of privacy when she was still under watch of the monsters. Unfortunately, as they rode to the east, larger areas of natural concealment seemed to be fewer and far between.

She ruminated despondently and perhaps a bit cynically, upon her new predicament as Legolas went about dismounting from their horse. _Why are some things always easier for boys?_

* * *

Legolas glanced back in the direction that the orcs were in pursuit as he dismounted from his horse. He was quite pleased that the orcs seemed to be laboring under some fatigue despite their stubbornness to carry on. This fatigue had in fact set the foul creatures far enough behind he and his companions, that they were just barely visible, even to him. This greater distance is what had inevitably inspired his willingness to stop for sake of his companions; dwarf, mortal, and horse alike. He was even hoping for the possibility that the orcs would eventually succumb to the need of a respite of their own.

After he alighted to the ground, he turned his attention back to the woman still upon his horse…Jillian. He noticed that her visage still held the bewildered expression that it had when he looked back at her only moments before when he had decided to stop. She had apparently been staring at him while his attentions were focused upon the orcs, for he noticed that she quickly tried to inconspicuously avert her gaze from staring at him so openly. He suspected he knew the reason for her behavior. For one thing, she was understandably still overwhelmed by her capture and subsequent rescue. But her blatant curiosity…and partnering confusion, that he could see despite her efforts to hide them, reminded him of the previous instances that he had been in the presence of unaccustomed mortals.

On those occasions most of the men and women had never seen an elf before, so it was only natural that they would be compelled to satisfy their curiosity and sometimes suspicious scrutiny. Therefore, it was per usual that she would regard him similarly. But, despite being accustomed to being regarded as such, he also detected something else in the brief glimpse of her expression that he saw before she hastily redirected her attentions. He would also have continued to reflect upon what had set her expression and reaction to him apart from what he had always experienced before, but he also knew that lingering on such things that could be addressed at a later time was only counterproductive to the progress that they had already made. And so he extended his hand to her,

"Take my hand. I shall help you down."

Her hesitancy was obvious as she looked back to him and placed her dirty hand in his own. He had a feeling her hesitancy was due to never having seen one of his race before, though her reluctance was also possibly due to the possibility of losing her balance and falling from her already tenuous perch atop the tall horse.

Legolas smiled at her to comfort her in the knowledge that he was nearby and would not let her fall and hurt herself. He could feel her wariness as she moved to bring her leg over the horses' back so that she could slide off. He could also see the surprise that danced in her eyes when his hands caught her about her waist to alleviate the harshness of her landing. Not wanting to think that she feared him, he implored her gaze with his own, trying his best to communicate through their visual contact that she could trust him. But soon the intensity of their visual connection was lost to him as he was finding himself inexplicably drawn to the unblemished curiosity that presented itself so clearly in her eyes despite cloud of uncertainty that tried but failed to hide it.

Their unspoken communication was abruptly interrupted by her downward gaze that was inspired by a loud clearing of throat from Gimli who was still seated and strapped to his own horse. The break in their visual contact caused Legolas to realize that his hands were still holding Jillian about the waist and so he let go allowing her to step aside as he turned and hastily made his way over to his questioning friend.

Without even looking Gimli in the eye he went about unfastening the straps that held the dwarf in place, all the while feeling the very palpable sensation of Gimli's critical acknowledgement of himself. And when he looked up, just as he suspected, Gimli was regarding him with an expression that inaudibly questioned his reaction to the young woman. Legolas knew his friend was restraining the reprimand that edged on the tip of his tongue; he could see it in the dwarf's eyes. But before Gimli could utter a single word, Legolas abruptly loosened the final strap, causing his unprepared friend to falter on his perch but also effectively and preemptively silencing any comment the dwarf could or would make.

Once Gimli was safely deposited on the stable earth, he gave his friend one last look that told Legolas that the topic could not be easily cast aside. Legolas sighed in slight annoyance after Gimli had then made a rather harried retreat behind the outcropping of rocks that marked their temporary respite, no doubt in order to answer to nature's urgency. Shaking his head, Legolas turned back to the horses, letting them wander a bit as they began to graze, and his brow furrowed at the thought of Gimli's inevitable input concerning Jillian.

He knew what Gimli would say. He knew that the connection he shared with Jillian was highly uncanny, especially since he had only known her for not even a full day. It caught him greatly off guard; never had he experienced such a thing with any other person, even in all the years he had already lived. It thrilled and worried him all at once. He could see that the very essence of her being was honest as he had held her eyes with his own. Yet at the same time, and thanks to Gimli's questioning and cautionary glances, Legolas knew that he should be more wary, especially considering her previous circumstances and the fact that orcs under influence of some strange man were after her.

With that final thought, Legolas determined that they needed to learn more about her. But it would have to wait till later. Gimli reappeared from behind the rocks looking less anxious than he had before. Though it wasn't because of Gimli that he refrained from questioning her then, for as soon as Gimli returned from his nature's visit behind the rocks, Jillian made her own hasty retreat behind them murmuring something about not being able to hold it any longer…

Gimli's eyebrows rose as he watched her sprint to where he had just been, "what is that all about?"

Legolas couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped his lips, "It seems she has a similar urgency."

At Legolas' comment, Gimli made a gruff noise of dismissal while he accepted the piece of Lembas bread that his friend offered him. Legolas shook his head. Apparently it was too soon for Gimli to acknowledge humor inspired by their new companion. And at that moment, said new companion reemerged from beyond the rocks looking similarly relieved. Legolas handed her her own portion of Lembas as she found a smaller rock to seat herself upon. She regarded it with uncertainty but eventually took a small nibble, her eyebrows arching as she continued to eat.

He knew that he could take the opportunity to question her then as they ate. But the more he thought on the matter, the more he thought it better to wait till they made camp for the night. He looked back to the last location he had seen the orcs, and despite their obvious fatigue, they continued to push on. Therefore it was best that they not tarry in one spot. Legolas decided that they would continue on after they finished their midday snack. He could see in the direction that they were fleeing to, a thin spindle of a small river that etched itself into the landscape partitioning the land they were on from the realm that lead into Gondor; to Minas Tirith. He felt that if they pressed on just enough, that they could reach it in the night with spare time for rest and sleep for himself his mortal companions respectively.

He glanced at the young woman out of the corner of his eye. The small river would also provide her with a much needed chance for her to bathe herself. Now that he could see her head on in the light of day, he could see that she was in fact quite dirtier than he thought from the night before. No doubt she would want to wash away the filth accumulated while she was in the custody of the orcs. He also considered the fact that questioning her now would likely lead to more questions that might delay their departure in which distance was a priority given the circumstances. Besides, she was likely to be more amenable to answering questions once she was clean and refreshed. And she would smell better too…

* * *

Just as he predicted, they were nearing the small river he had first sighted as the night's clear sky revealed by its quarter moon. It was quite late, as the moon's position in the sky indicated. Their journey that afternoon had not been unlike the morning prior. Once they had finished eating the nourishment that Legolas had provided for them all, they had mounted their steeds and traveled with as much haste as often as possible, slowing periodically so as not to overbear the horses.

Throughout the afternoon, Legolas witnessed his friends growing grouchiness with a mixture of amusement and concern. He knew that Gimli did not care for riding horses and the dwarfs' disdain for such sport showed quite apparently through his deeply furrowed brows. And quite often would his companion twitch upon his seat, trying to urge feeling back into his posterior. Even though Legolas could not deny the entertainment his friend's actions inspired, he did in no way wish discomfort upon Gimli. And he feared for the temper that such a long expanse of time astride a horse would inspire once they reached their destination for the night. After all, he still wanted to question Jillian before they rested till the morn.

The days ride had also been quite similar to the one that morning in another way. And that way was currently draped across his back as she had been earlier when she had fallen asleep while they rode. And when she was awake, she held onto him with the same fierce grip she had possessed before. Apparently no amount of assurance on his part would convince her that she would not fall from the horse while she rode with him. Clearly, she was not accustomed to riding horses, which only made him wonder where she was from that they did not rely on horses. The only peoples that he had encountered that were not known to ride horses were of Gimli's race. And she was most certainly _not_ a dwarf. She must have subconsciously sensed that they were nearing their destination, for he could feel her stirring behind him, as well as the tightening of her grip about his torso.

There were not many natural shelters or barriers in this wilderness, so with a slight sigh, Legolas surveyed the immediate surrounding area. Through the brightness of the moon, he did not even need to rely on the gift of his elven eyesight to determine that anyplace alongside the river was as good as any. And so he brought his steed to a stop while Gimli halted his own horse just behind him.

The young woman still held tight to him even thought they had stopped. He gently grasped her hand so as to pry her fingers from their strong grip of his tunic. And at her startled jump and soft gasp, he looked over his shoulder, "I am sorry. I meant not to startle you."

She nodded in acknowledgement of his apology and at the same time she lessened her grasp of him. He took the opportunity to quickly dismount and turn back to steady her before she felt like she would fall. She was taken aback by the swiftness of his motions that she did not have the opportunity to hesitate in nervousness, and the astonishment was very apparent in her eyes as she looked around momentarily disoriented by the swift change in orientation and position. And while she was distracted, Legolas quickly made his way over to help Gimli remove the straps from his horses' saddle. He did not want to give Gimli any more opportunity or ammunition concerning the uncanny connection he had felt with Jillian earlier.

Once they were all dismounted, Legolas led the horses to the rivers' edge for their much needed refreshment. Gimli had already set about preparing his bed for the night. After Legolas had settled the horses near a spot by the river so that they could drink and then graze, he made his way back to what Gimli had established as the apparent center of their camp. As much as he was loath to do so, he knew that he should at least start a small fire. The night was much cooler than the one previous as the clouds had cleared bringing the years' first chill air. But just before he set about the task of starting said fire, he noticed Jillian simply standing off to the side, clearly uncertain of what to do and not wanting to get in the way.

So he retrieved his own traveling bag that he secured to Tombellas' saddle. He normally did not travel with much, but seeing as he would have been journeying for quite an extended period with his stubborn friend, he thought it wise to carry a few extra provisions. After pulling an extra tunic and breeches from the bag he went to where Jillian stood and offered the clothing to her. At first she just gave a puzzled look and so he ventured an explanation.

"Some clean clothing," and after she took the proffered garments he continued, gesturing towards the river, "We will face the opposite direction, so you may bathe privately."

He watched her eyes widen as she glanced at the river and then back towards their camp. No doubt she was looking for any form of concealment for which to shield herself by, and yet finding none.

"I offer my word that neither Gimli nor I shall direct any attentions toward you."

She bit her lip as a look of wary uncertainty flashed in her eyes. But her desire to be clean must have won her minds' inner battle, for she rather suddenly and fiercely stated, "You better not!"

Legolas couldn't help the smirk that twitched at the corner of his lips earning him a raised eyebrow as well as a fierce stare.

"By the Grace of the Valar, I give you my promise."

She tilted her head in confusion but nevertheless accepted his formal pledge for her privacy and quickly turned to make her way to the river, glancing over her shoulder as she went to be sure that he would keep his word. And so Legolas turned and made his own way back to where Gimli now sat waiting for him to resume starting their small fire for the night.

As he set about his task, he spoke to Gimli, "I shall keep the fire small so that it is not noticeable from a distance."

The two sat in companionable silence after Legolas established the fire; its soft but warm glow illuminating each of their feature just so. Legolas had offered Gimli some more Lembas, and the dwarf added it to the jerky meat that ha fancied. Obviously His friend could only tolerate so much of the elven bread before needed to satiate his palate with more robust flavors that appealed to those of his race. And they relaxed as they ate until a shriek from behind them caused then to tense with alarm. But their worries were short lived, for the same voice that uttered the unexpected shout soon after proclaimed with vehemence, "Shit! It's cold!"

Legolas could see the stunned look on his friend's face out of the corner of his eye. In fact, he couldn't keep the surprise from his own features at the young woman's foul use of language, regardless of how cold the water was. He could also see Gimli start to rise and turn, so he quickly grabbed hold of the dwarf's arm, pulling him back down to his seat and his attention away from their no doubt, nude traveling companion in the water.

It was now Gimli's turn to give Legolas a fierce stare, and so Legolas quickly explained, "She has gone to bathe in the river."

Clearly disgruntled, Gimli nevertheless resumed eating, although he made sure to do so with no small amount of grumbling just to make his displeasure known. Legolas had already eaten his share and so he went about retrieving his things from where he last left them so that he could prepare a suitable bed for Jillian as well as one for himself, resourcefully utilizing his own cloak as a blanket and his back for a pillow. Her own bag was amongst his seeing as how they shared a horse, and so he thought to use it as a potential pillow as well. But upon closer inspection, he determined that it would not be a sufficient pillow in that it was made of a thick and sturdy leather with heavy metal clasps and findings.

So he set the bag aside, and continued about his task of arranging suitable beds from the night. He couldn't deny the curiosity that plagued him about what she carried within her bag, but he knew from experience through his own adolescence, that it was a dangerous affair to meddle with the personal belongings of the feminine sex. Therefore, he left it alone.

Yet apparently he was fated to see what see carried within the bag, for as he turned to retake his seat by Gimli, the bag tipped over, and the unfastened buckles of its closure flapped open onto the ground. And a multitude of loose papers slid out from within the bags' confines. He and Gimli exchanged glances, his friend wary just as he was, yet likely for different reasons. He did not want Jillian to think that he persuaded her into taking a bath so that he could peruse her belongings; he still meant to build and maintain her trust so that she wouldn't take offense when he was to question her about her involvement with the orcs and strange man. So he stepped around the fire to put her bag as it had been before.

But, as he knelt down to rectify the bags' original position, the papers piqued his interest. Knowing that he should just return them to their proper place, he couldn't help but allow himself to briefly study their contents. Most of them contained writing. And although he could recognize the characters and letters of the written form of the common tongue, their arrangement comprised a very different…and very…alien language. Certainly one that he had never seen before, despite the many years of study he was obligated to for his station. And between the lined of the black letters, that were far too perfectly scribed were handwritten notes. And this time, he could understand them, for they were written in the common tongue.

Completely absorbed in what he was seeing, he concluded that the notes must be a translation of what the darker script read. But before he could get a clearer inspection of what the notes relayed, some of the papers slipped from his hands, fluttering to the ground. He murmured a curse in his own language as he bent to collect the fallen leafs from the earth, and as he reached down his fingers paused above the paper that sat atop the others. A cold chill shivered throughout his body as the flickering glow of the fire mockingly danced and illuminated an image that caused his heartbeat to catch in his throat.

There, upon that one piece of paper was an image. And it was the figures who occupied the image that caused him to stare in disbelief, for there before his eyes was the eerie but undeniable likeness of his friend Aragorn and his new queen. It was impossible…but it seared his subconscious so blatantly, for in the King's arms was a child. A child that had not yet been born.

* * *

What now is in store for everyone?! And poor Jillian, she gets rescued and now this!

Next time Jillian will give some answers, and mystery to her new companions. And she'll get the same in return, Heehee ^_^ all the while getting closer to Minas Tirith, but not without an unexpected surprise in a town along the way!

Please! Let me know what you think! Your feedback gives me great help and encouragement! And I promise I'll try to get the next one out sooner!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time,

Mel


	7. Chapter 7

Oh. My. Goodness…. I'm SOOOOOOOO sorry! I feel so bad that it has been over a year since I have updated for the wonderful, lovely, awesome, incredible readers of _Shifting Tides_!

I have had so much going on recently. Mainly academically. I am currently enrolled in three research/seminar courses at once because I'm insane… After this term I have an exit course and an internship left and then, GRADUATION! Phew! Thank goodness!

I had meant to get this posted a few weeks ago, but then I caught the flu, AND strep, and was bedridden to the point where I couldn't even complete course assignments.

But here is an update! And just after St. Patty's day! Aren't y'all lucky! ^_~

Once again, Thank you to all who have read, been reading, and have been waiting for more of my story! You are really awesome, and it really does inspire me to write more. Now, if only I could figure out how to rid myself of this pesky thing called higher-education!

Disclaimer thingy: I don't own anything pertaining to the Lord of the Rings. Sadly. I couldv'e really benefited from the presence of a Legolas this past year!

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The water of the river was indescribably frigid. Jillian couldn't help the involuntary shivers that reverberated throughout her body. Nor could she help the way her teeth chattered so hard that she was surprised the two men by the small, newly formed fire, which taunted her with its warm glow, didn't seem to hear her. But she was glad that the rapid clicking of her teeth sounded perhaps louder to her in her own head than in actuality, for she preferred that their attention remained focused in the opposite direction she was in. Most especially because she was nude, and they were male.

Despite how cold the water was, Jillian was actually quite glad to have the opportunity to bathe. Knowing for certain that she had been in this country…where ever it was….for a minimum of four days now. Or at least that's what she thought. But regardless of how long she had already been in this land, it most certainly was far too long without a bath. So even though the chill of the water bit at her skin in all its most sensitive places, she gritted her teeth…when they weren't chattering… to bear it.

The moon, though far past its mid-night position, was large and full and bright. It illuminated everything around her with its silvery glow, which was quite a contrast from the night before when a thick blanket of clouds shrouded the earth in a veil of darkness. It was such a stark contrast, that Jillian couldn't help but glance over every now and then to where the men sat …and possibly even more frequently, especially since she gave a shriek upon entering the icy river. She wanted to make sure that the beautiful man Legolas was upholding whatever oath he had made to her to not look in her direction as she bathed.

And now she looked over at them once more, keeping her eyes fixed on their backs as she rose and made to leave the chilly water. The night air hit her wet skin like thousands of tiny needles and she shivered, looking around desperately for something with which to dry herself. Unfortunately, being in the middle of nowhere in a country she didn't even know meant that towels or anything of the sort was a commodity not to be had. She had to improvise. Using the shirt that Legolas had given her, she lightly padded the excess moisture from her skin so that the shirt wouldn't be too damp to wear.

She dressed as quickly as she could, having only slight difficulty with the clasps to the shirt. It was after she was clothed that she belatedly thought that the clothes she was now wearing likely belonged to Legolas. The pants and the sleeves of the shirt were far too long for her frame and she had to roll them up to accommodate her stature. The thought of wearing his clothing made her blush inexplicably, but she quickly squashed her surprise as her mind began to rationalize. _Well, Jill…it's not like he would carry around women's clothes…_

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Legolas was completely absorbed in the image whose subject taunted him from the surface of the thin, oddly bright piece of paper until the sound of Gimli's sharp dwarvish curse sounded in his ear from over his shoulder.

Looking back at his friend, Legolas could see that the dwarf was turning as red as his hair. And before Legolas could utter a single word, Gimli erupted, exclaiming vehemently, "I knew she was trouble! I just knew it!"

"Gimli! Quiet!" Legolas admonished with a harsh whisper while looking discretely back over his shoulder and hoping that the woman Jillian hadn't heard Gimli's little explosion. But at the sight of said young woman dressing, he abruptly turned back to face his friend, hoping that the flush creeping over his face wasn't so apparent in the orange glow of the fire.

"And what's gotten into ye? I saw the way ye were lookin' at her!"

Legolas knew by the fervor with which Gimli's anger was rising that his reprimand would not be received well, but it did not prepare him for the hostile accusation that his friend threw back at him, nor for how accurate an accusation it was that left him stunned and spurred a sudden defensiveness that Legolas hadn't felt since he first met the dwarf.

"And how was that? I have only shown kindness to someone in need of aid!"

"Hmph! Well your 'kindness' has blinded you to what she is!"

Gimli's words stung Legolas. Of course the two had always had their differences, but they had always been trivial compared to the strength of their friendship. So it left a disheartening and betrayed feeling within him to think that Gimli would call his character into question.

"You assume much Gimli," he coolly reciprocated his own accusation, and then indicating the paper he still held; "This does not mean she is of ill repute. We do not know her circumstances, but regardless of what they are, it is better she and this image both are with us than in the hands of our enemy."

"And what if she is also the enemy?"

"Truly Gimli, you have seen her…you cannot think that."

But the dwarf remained obstinately silent.

"Then if I have been blinded by my own kindness, surely your own suspicion blinds you."

And with that, Legolas let the stubborn dwarf stew while he went about righting Jillian's fallen bag; collecting the other loose papers and stacking them neatly with the one that showed the disconcerting image. Just as he was placing them back in the bag, he caught the barely noticeable padding of feet that signaled the approach of the bag's owner.

Legolas could see that she must be able to feel the tense atmosphere that had settled upon the camp. He noticed the way that she glanced warily between Gimli and himself; unsure if she should say anything.

"Your bag fell over," he explained when her attention was drawn to the bag still in his grasp, "Some things fell out…I was replacing them."

"Thanks."

The camp was still and ripe with awkwardness. And it only worsened with Gimli's glare directed at the young woman and her confused expression as a result.

Legolas could see Gimli was about to explode into a direct interrogation of the girl and was about to intercede when she spoke up before either of them.

"Actually, thank you both for everything, rescuing me…who knows what those…monsters would have done."

Legolas could see Gimli become less ruffled after Jillian expressed her gratitude, so he took the opportunity to direct the young woman to the makeshift bed he had set out while she was bathing. Taking her previous clothing that she had balled up and making note that he would do his best to clean the garments of the stains and odor once he had the opportunity.

He sat opposite her on the other side of the small glowing fire. He could see the nervous expression she wore as she glanced warily at Gimli. And knowing his impetuous friend was most likely to intimidate the young woman, he swiftly but cautiously preempted, "I could not help but notice the pages you carry."

His statement earned him not only her attention but Gimli's as well. So he continued, "Is that why they held you captive?"

She shifted uncomfortably and bit her lip anxiously. Legolas could tell, just by that small reaction alone that he had hit the mark. And she finally looked at him, her expression grim in the dim glow of the fire, confirming his inquiry with a subtle nod. After several minutes that seemed longer than they probably were she spoke.

"He wanted me to translate the pages."

Legolas did not have a good feeling about where these answers were going, but he pressed on. The more he knew, the better prepared he could be for what lay ahead.

"The man whom the orcs answer to?"

His last question was met by a nervous nod from her and a sharp look from Gimli.

He had been prepared for Gimli to insert himself into the interrogation at that revelation, but his friend held his cool. It seemed as if Gimli thought it better to hear the girl out rather than frighten her into silence, regardless of how his temper was undoubtedly boiling up inside.

"Yeah…it's weird though…" she paused momentarily, "I mean…he should be able to translate them himself…"

Something did not add up, and Legolas could tell that Gimli was thinking just as he, but before he could ask her himself, Gimli beat him to it.

"How do ye know he should be able to translate those pages? How well do ye know this man?" And turning to him the dwarf said, "Legolas, I told ye she couldn't be trusted!"

Legolas heaved a sigh of frustration. He could see by Jillian's expression that his friend's accusatory exclamation had caught her off guard. This was the first time that he had gotten the opportunity to speak with her at length, and he did not want her shutting down in defensiveness due to his impetuous friend.

"She was captive, Gimli. Not complicit."

"How do ye know? For all we know, she could have given herself to them so…"

"Gimli!" Legolas was astonished that his friend would be so forwardly brazen in his accusations. He was just about to admonish him for what he just said when Jillian spoke up, hurriedly trying to explain.

"I had only just met him. My boss asked me to contact someone who could help with a recent discovery. He came to our museum and I was taking him to see a painting, but there was…an accident. And then I woke up…here…where ever this is…"

She trailed off when she saw his and Gimli's questioning glances.

"Painting?" Gimli pressed, "The picture in your bag?"

Legolas was far too intrigued by this new line of questioning, that he found himself anxiously awaiting her answer. In the back of his mind, he felt guilty for leaving her at the mercy of Gimli's suspicious interrogation, but his desire to find out more about the image had struck him with more force than an arrow and left him at the shameful mercy of uncertainty.

He watched her intently as she nodded jerkily, confirming that the image was in fact a probably much larger painting. He knew a fair bit of knowledge about the process of painting, having participated in the activity sporadically in the earlier centuries of his life. If the image he had seen, despite its small size, was any indication, it would have taken a number of weeks, even months, to achieve the level of detail and likeness. And considering the fact that this painting would be produced after the birth of a child who had not even yet been conceived; the thought did not rest easily with him.

"It's large…quite beautiful," she began uncertainly, "the technique is exquisite. The artist is clearly a master. There is little visible aging…but dating the painting has been difficult. Which is why the museum contacted Professor Carrington…"

Legolas spoke up before Gimli, his attention swiftly caught by the details of this new identity that had the ability to bend the disgraceful lot of monsters to do his bidding. But what bidding was it exactly?

"Professor Carrington? The man? The man who lead the orcs?"

Her expression changed then, as if she was reliving a memory.

She nodded faintly, "He wasn't like that when I first met him. Something happened. After I woke up here…"

Gimli exchanged a wary look with him.

"He acted funny at first. Far too quiet. He was very personable when I first met him. And then…when the monsters came… I thought they had gotten him too, but it was him…" she was visible angry now, as she finished through clenched teeth, "…he told them he needed me alive."

The information that she offered freely was definitely far more mysterious than he had thought. And mystery generally was cause for concern, especially when orcs were a part of it. He could see that Gimli was taken aback by her account of betrayal.

Roughly clearing his throat, his friend offered his peace and a silent apology for his rash behavior, with the food that he offered to Jillian. She accepted with a small nod of thanks and an uncertain smile.

The three of them ate in silence.

Jillian's hair was drier that when she had returned from her bath in the river. It was also fuller, the air and warmth from the fire giving it a slight wave that had been absent before. Being clean, she was a great deal more lovely, though still not an exceptional beauty like the Evenstar or the Lady Eowyn. Her eyes, in their expressiveness, were what granted her loveliness. Eyes that he now noted regarded him with more open curiosity than before.

She must have noticed that he had caught her looking at him, for she quickly turned away to discreetly regard his dwarven friend with wary perplexity. Gimli must have felt her gaze too, as he turned to face her and she suddenly found her meal very interesting.

"He's an elf, lass."

Apparently Gimli had noticed her inquisitiveness. Startled, she turned to look at him.

"Huh?"

"Legolas. He's an elf."

Legolas sighed as he looked to her to find a pair of wide and skeptical eyes scrutinizing him. Her eyes alighted on his ears.

"Is that why they're pointy?"

Legolas nodded silently. He could see through her eyes that she was unsure of how to compose herself after his affirmation, so she turned to Gimli.

"And you?"

"Gimli is a dwarf." Legolas answered for his friend.

She looked between the two of them, trying unsuccessfully to shield the obvious bewilderment from her face. She set her bowl down. Apparently her appetite lost, as she looked between them again and then stared into the brilliant flames of their small fire.

"…I'm a little tired..."

"Of course," Legolas gave her leave to seek out the comfort of her bed, "I will wake you in the morn. We will travel to a village not too far from here…sleep well, Jillian."

She gave a quick nod as she hastily tucked herself into her bedroll.

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Jillian's heart pounded as she lay in her blankets, back turned on her two…unusual companions. Unusual wasn't quite the word to describe them after what she had learned. In fact, it was probably a pretty damn tame substitute of a designation for the unintelligible description that the two of them presented. _Elves and Dwarves?_ _That's like…fairy-tale stuff!_

If they were what they said they were… _then where the bloody hell _am_ I? _Her heart pounded in her ears as she lay there, the sprawling vistas, distant mountains, burned villages, monsters, "Professor Carrington," Gimli, and Legolas…Legolas' ears…Legolas' piercing blue eyes…all swirled in rapid succession within her mind. The air smelled too clean. The sky was far too vast, more so than the one she was used to. In fact the night sky above her was generously glittered with an unfathomable amount of brilliantly twinkling stars. She was never one for astronomy, but she knew the most recognizable constellations. And with alarming clarity, she realized that she did not see a single one. Could she be in the Southern Hemisphere? She had heard that the stars were different there…but she was also pretty sure mythological races were not a part of the world's other half.

_Mythological races?_ There was just no way. Dwarves, well dwarves could be explained. Dwarfism was not uncommon, and in fact there were many types of dwarves medically known. Elves… Now that was a different story. Sure elves were not unheard of, but when they were heard of, it was usually linked to some sort of fictional reality, and were short, jolly, mischievous, and often dabbled in baking or toy-making. And Legolas definitely did not fit that description at all. Orcs. The closest things that Jillian could liken them to were zombies. And those were certainly not real.

_Oh God!_ This had to be some sort of dream.

But she hadn't woken up. Or at least she hadn't woken up where she was supposed to wake up. Explanations were started to flutter into her head. But they were so far beyond absurd she didn't even want to consider them. Yet the more she fought to hold them at bay or banish them from her consciousness, the more they began to solidify and take root. Alternate realities were just not possible. It suggested that her own reality persisted alongside, and if she was here, she sure as hell couldn't figure out why she couldn't just wake up in her own world. _Do I even exist in my own reality?_

She couldn't fight back the tears that welled up in her eyes. She tried. But the tears started to silently overflow from her strained eyes. _Mom…Dad…_

She lay in resolute silence. She didn't know what to think anymore, and so she lay there with tears tracing cool, quiet tracks down her face. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep. Exhaustion claimed her and lead her to sweet unconscious oblivion.

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Legolas was loath to wake his companions as the beginnings of morning light diffused the darkness of night. The night before had been…tense. From what little had been discussed about the painting, it seemed as if the mystery had broadened even more. But one thing he was able to ascertain was Jillian's innocence in that matter; she really was simply caught up in something definitely not of her doing.

After waking Gimli, he moved over to wake Jillian. As he approached her he could see the skin around her eyes, puffy and red. It confirmed what he had suspected the night before. She had been crying.

He softly nudged her shoulder until her eyes fluttered open. She appeared at first dazed, and then what he thought as disappointed.

"Dawn is nearing. We must break camp."

She nodded sleepily, rising to a sit. He left her to gather her things while he readied the horses.

He finished strapping his belongings to the saddle of his steed and moved on to assist Gimli onto the perch of his own horse. They were a fair distance away from Jillian, close enough to be within a moments reach yet far enough that she could not hear when Gimli roughly cleared his throat, indicating his intent to speak.

"Ye were right about the lass."

Legolas raised an eyebrow at his friend's admission. He thought Gimli might elaborate in his thinking, but he also knew that for the dwarf to admit he was wrong was a fairly big feat in itself. It would be apparent to anyone that Jillian was not the source of the malignity.

Gimli begrudgingly let Legolas refasten the belts that held him to the horse's saddle as sun broke the horizon accompanied by warm coral tones that illuminated the wispy clouds in the sky. By the time he had Gimli securely fastened atop the horse, he could hear Jillian's unassuming approach. He offered her a small smile, an offering of peace as much as reassurance. It seemed as if he had been offering these reassurances since the moment he rescued her. And he would likely be offering more reassurances, he mused.

Taking the things that she carried he went about affixing them to the saddle of his own horse. While he worked he could feel her gaze upon him. He stole a few sideways glances to see her studying him intently.

He turned to her as she began to speak, "Are they really…"

Time seemed to rush by and stand still all at once. He hadn't expected her to reach out, and he couldn't help his reaction when her warm, soft fingers came in contact with the tip of his ear. His breath hitched and he shuddered as an intense wave of pleasure rippled traitorously through his body.

"…real?" she ended with a wide-eyed whisper.

He grasped her hand firmly, trying desperately to dampen the feelings that she had unintentionally stirred within him. He had not felt feelings such as this for a very long time, it made him feel adolescent and composure instantly became a struggle. He also felt a slight tinge of guilt in knowing that her previous gesture had only been inquisitively innocent. He was immensely grateful when Gimli spoke up, breaking the strange time-spell.

"Aye, they're real lass. And as rumored, a fair bit more sensitive than yer own."

Legolas was grateful that she had turned to Gimli when he spoke, for he could feel a fierce blush creeping up said sensitive ears. He hoped it wasn't very apparent because she turned once more to him, eyes still wide.

"I'm…sorry." Jillian softly offered, taking back her hand as well.

""Tis alright… it took me by surprise is all."

Gimli's timely cough dispersed the tension that had settled about them, signaling that there were more pressing matters at hand than to reminisce on awkward moments. That particular moment was indeed awkward, but to Legolas it was more than just that, he was just not altogether sure what it was. But it was best not to dwell on it now.

They needed to be on their way, so Legolas held out his hand to Jillian once more. She looked unsure, especially, as he suspected, after what had just transpired.

"I will help you onto the saddle."

Recognition of his intentions flickered in her eyes and she appeared perhaps a little embarrassed as if she was expecting something else. She tentatively extended her hand to him, and he gently led her to his horse. He guided her hands to grasp the saddle and lifted her by the waist onto the seat. He could tell that she was unsteady, by her tense posture and before she had the opportunity to overanalyze the reliability of her balance, he swung himself with ease to sit behind her.

Only after they had set off toward that day's destination did Legolas wish that Jillian was behind him as she was the previous day. He would gladly suffer through the tight, bone-crushing grip again. Especially considering how she was now warmly snuggled against his chest, more for balance than any form of familiarity.

He frowned as they rode on. He did not understand the draw he had towards her, a perfect stranger. Her earlier curiosity about his ears did not help matters either. He also felt somewhat conflicted that his worry for the situation with the orcs was inextricably linked to the young woman whom he found his thoughts straying.

It was going to be a long ride.

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It was a long ride. A long day. A prolonged duration of time sitting on a horse. A long time with a very strong pair of arms wrapped about her gripping the reins. Jillian was relieved when they rode through the gate of the village.

The village itself was at once a welcome and unwelcome distraction. She was glad to have something to attract her attention away from all the tumultuous thoughts spinning about in her head. But while she had something new to focus on…she had something new to focus on.

The sun had set but the sky still had an orange-pink glow. Jillian wasn't sure what to expect when they arrived at the village, the only other village that she had seen was burnt to a crisp. The village was like a Renaissance fair that she had been to one year during high-school with her friends, only infinitely more authentic. Even as the day was drawing to an end, the village was bustling with activity. Men carried wood, herded livestock, and hauled heavy sacks, looking scruffy after what was probably a long and hard day at work. Children were running about and frazzled mothers were chasing after them trying to round them up for the evening meal.

Jillian began to realize that she, Legolas, and Gimli were being scrutinized by the people of the village just as much as she was scrutinizing them. Adults perceived them with inscrutable looks while children stared with open curiosity.

"Everyone is staring at us." she commented lowly, more to herself, but Legolas must have heard and responded.

"They likely do not have many visitors of other races."

Jillian nodded absently as she heard a small boy pointing in their direction exclaiming, "Look Mum! An elf!"

It was as the mother was reprimanding the boy for pointing, that any remaining doubt about Legolas and Gimli was slowly beginning to fade. The little boy had recognized Legolas as an elf. The implications slammed Jillian once more as she wondered where the hell she was.

She didn't have much time for contemplation, for they had come to a fairly large building whose sign confirmed it to be an inn. Legolas lead them toward an adjoining structure that Jillian assumed was a stable for the horses. When they had found a large unoccupied stall, Legolas helped her and Gimli from the horses, and then she found herself watching them as they tended to the animals, to ensure their comfort through the night she was pretty sure. Her bag was handed to her, and she was escorted by Legolas' hand at the small of her back out into the milieu and toward the warmly lit inn.

It was a lively atmosphere that greeted her and her companions as they entered the establishment. Her senses were greeted with an array of new sights and smells. Boisterous patrons were laughing over large pint-sized mugs of what was unmistakably some form of alcohol. There was a spicy-sweet scent aloft from the many pipes being puffed. And the entire broad room that hosted several dozen crowded tables was filled with the savory aroma of home-cooked victuals.

Just as they had outside in the village, the group of them attracted attention as they weaved their way to an empty table. Jillian was starting to accept the fact that people were probably going to stare at her companions, and she couldn't blame them…Legolas and Gimli were certainly a sight to see compared to everything about them. But she was startled to realize that the stares were not only limited to the two males in her company. She was at a loss to discover that she was the focus of a good deal of the attention.

To Jillian's relief, they finally reached the unoccupied table and she practically melted into her seat. It was not long before a robust woman with frazzled hair appeared at their table trying her best not to appear flustered by her new set of uncanny patrons.

"What can I get for ye?" she asked in an accent not unlike Gimli's.

Jillian left it to Legolas and Gimli to request their meals. She had only ever communicated with Legolas, Gimli, and the traitorous Professor in this country, wherever it was. The woman hurried off, deftly twining her way through the maze of tables to retrieve the stew, bread, and water that Legolas had requested and the ale that Gimli had inquired.

In the wake of the initial sensations spawned by the boisterous activity of the inn, Jillian didn't miss the surreptitious glances the woman cast towards her before she left to retrieve their provisions.

When the woman returned, she was distracted once more from her previous thoughts as the aroma of the rich stew struck Jillian's senses with such intensity that her mouth watered and her stomach grumbled in protest to its previously unacknowledged hunger.

"Here you are sirs," the woman proclaimed proudly as she set the dishes on the table before them, "and lass."

Gimli nodded his gratitude as he delved right into his full dish, utensil in one hand and ale in the other. Legolas offered a simple 'thank you' as he received his portion. Keeping the rhythm, Jillian likewise, contributed her own brief thanks.

"Will you be needing rooms for the night sirs?"

"One room with two beds would be sufficient." Legolas confirmed.

The woman looked as if she would stealthily suggest another room, especially as she glanced once more towards Jillian, but she refrained. No doubt she thought it indecorous for Jillian to share a room with two men. But clearly their status as paying customers helped the woman to hold her tongue. She left them to their meal, returning shortly after they had finished, to clear their dishes, and lead them towards their lodgings.

The inns-woman guided them to a fairly spacious but cozy room that housed two small beds loaded with hand-made blankets. Aside from that the room was sparse, containing only a small table with a large candle atop and a chair that sat by a small paned window.

"My name is Melva by the way. If you need anything, just ask."

Jillian had just sat on the bed closest to the window, since Gimli had already claimed the other one, when Melva spoke up again.

"Will any of ye be needing a bath this evening?"

Jillian couldn't help the smirk of amusement that crossed her face as a rather loud snore emitted from the other bed. _Well I guess that's Gimli's answer._

Legolas then spoke up, "I do not require a bath this eve, but I believe Jillian would appreciate a warm bath and perhaps some more suitable clothing for a lady."

Melva perked up at the mention of Jillian's state of dress and she hustled over to her, grabbing her by the elbow, she hurried her towards the door.

"Come lass. You can have yer bath in my chambers, and I will find you something to wear," she gave Jillian a quick once-over and amended, "though you are a fair bit thinner than myself…"

Jillian cast a worried look over her shoulder at Legolas. He caught her concerned glance and nodded his reassurance that it was safe to go with Melva. Jillian was still uncertain, but the man…the elf, had saved her life. If anyone deserved her trust since coming to this place, then it was him.

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Melva escorted her down a fairly narrow corridor lined with wooden walls to a door at the far end. The woman shut the door behind her and sat Jillian down in a chair similar to the one in the room they had just left.

"You just sit right there dear, while I warm some water for ye."

Jillian nodded absently as Melva set about her task. Melva seemed friendly and all…but, she hadn't spent any span of time with anyone other than the Professor, Legolas, and Gimli since she arrived. She wasn't sure how to act, especially considering the village had given her a pretty good idea that the customs and culture of daily life was marginally different from what she was used to.

"Alright lass," Melva's sudden acknowledgement broke into Jillian's reverie, "I have the water warm for ye."

The woman guided Jillian towards a large, shallow wooden tub that Jillian couldn't help but regard with trepidation. She would gladly take a freezing river any day rather than a rudimentary wooden tub.

Her attention was abruptly caught once more as Melva began fiddling with the closures on the borrowed tunic she wore. Jillian began to insist that she was fully capable of undressing and bathing by herself when Melva sucked in a sharp gasp of air.

"What happened to yer neck child?"

Jillian's fingers involuntarily raised to her neck as she realized that Melva must have spotted the bruised marks that still lingered from her rough initial encounter with the orc-monsters. Melva's eyes became suspicious as she fiercely demanded, "Did they do this to ye?"

Jillian realized that the woman must think that Legolas and Gimli had…

"No! No! They saved me!" Melva still sported an incredulously suspicious look on her face, "from the monsters…"

A look of realization crossed Melva's features.

"You were taken by orcs?" She exclaimed, eyes wide.

Jillian nodded.

"You poor child!" Melva preened. "That must have been a horror!"

Jillian nodded again. Melva did not say anything more, but Jillian could tell she was still the object of the woman's pity by her glances. Melva resumed unclasping the tunic, admonishing Jillian's insistence that she could do so herself by the logic that she too was a woman. The woman's helpfulness and sympathy quelled any protest that Jillian might have raised and she rationalized to herself… _The doctor sees me naked every year…I guess it's not that big a deal._

"These clothes," Melva began as she folded the tunic to place on the nearby bed, "they belong to the elf?"

Jillian nodded as she crossed her arms over her breasts in modesty, "My clothes were…filthy. Legolas gave me his spare clothes to wear"

Melva nodded, as she unfastened the string bindings of the pants and encouraged Jillian to step out of them. She positioned Jillian in the tub, giving her what she assumed was soap and a small wet cloth to wash herself. The woman helped Jillian wash her back and then rinsed her by gently pouring the warm water over her body. Despite her self-consciousness, Jillian didn't really mind being somewhat pampered.

Now that she was clean, she stood wrapped in a warm blanket while Melva scurried about looking for clothing that Jillian might be able to wear. Once the older woman had procured the items to her satisfaction, she helped Jillian into the softly woven ankle-length chemise. Over top she slipped a long tunic-like dress that seemed a little large to Jillian until the thicker fabric that would be undoubtedly itchy without the chemise underneath, was neatly gathered and folded symmetrically and firmly laced in place. The last thing that Melva gave Jillian was a pair of worn leather slippers that surprisingly molded to and cushioned her feet better than any modern shoe ever could.

"I was not sure if the slippers would fit you." Melva commented.

Jillian wiggled her toes, enjoying the feel of the soft and supple leather against her feet that had endured such rough treatment as of late, "They're perfect. Thank you."

"You're quite welcome lass. Now…we must get you to bed, it is late."

A few minutes later, Jillian found herself outside the door to the room she shared with Legolas and Gimli with Legolas' clothes she had borrowed in her arms, a little dazed and hesitant to go in. So much had occurred within the last two days that it seemed like months had passed since she first arrived. She stood reminiscing about the plethora of ordeals she had endured. It was a little…well… maybe a lot bit daunting… but one image was steadfastly calm and comforting despite its intensity; the sincerity in Legolas' clear, blue eyes.

With a shake of her head, Jillian cleared her thoughts. Opening the door, she saw him sitting in the chair by the window, his outstretched legs crossed at the ankles. The chair looked uncomfortable, if the one she had sat on in Melva's room was any indication. But Legolas made it look like the most comfortable of seats through the ease with which he lounged.

He looked deep in thought, so Jillian quietly approached the nearby table to set his clothes without disturbing him. She made her way to her bed, kicking her slippers off once there, and climbed in despite the fact that she was wearing a full dress. She didn't have anything else to wear, and she wasn't about to sleep nude either.

Pulling back the covers, she fell back upon the pillow, thankful to not be sleeping on the hard ground for once. With a relieved sigh she let herself slip into a relaxed slumber.

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The village woke in the morning with the rise of the sun with villagers resuming their daily business at a routinely harried pace. Upon waking, Legolas noticed his clothing folded neatly before him on the little wooden table. He clearly must have suffered more fatigue than he thought considering that Jillian had returned after her bath and had set the clothes on the table without him noticing.

He was certainly glad that Melva had fitted Jillian with clothing more befitting a lady. He had noticed the looks that were directed at Jillian yesterday. Granted, it was due in part to the fact that she traveled with Gimli and himself. But he had noticed not only Melva's questioning glances toward Jillian and her attire, he also perceived a fair number of inebriated men eyeing Jillian's figure of which his clothing was clearly not tailored for.

The clothing Melva had donned the young woman with was not especially exquisite, in fact it was quite ordinary, but it was by far more appropriate for Jillian to wear that his clothes, or even her own which still needed washing.

After his companions were roused, the three of them made their way down the gathering hall and were cheerfully greeted by Melva, who had apparently taken a liking to Jillian, and by looping her arm companionably around the young woman's shoulders, led them to a table where she served them a hearty breakfast. Gimli greedily ate the fare while Jillian helped herself to a healthy portion. Legolas did not eat as enthusiastically as his companions as the food was a bit more rich than he was accustomed. But he did not need to worry about offending Melva with a half eaten plate for Gimli had readily appropriated the remaining portions.

Legolas was a little concerned about not having maintained a steady watch throughout the night. The thought of the orc party besieging the village did not sit well with him, and so he made the excuse to venture out into the village to procure items needed for further travel. His ruse did not escape his dwarven friend, who was all but eager to accompany him…no doubt roots and spices for his pipe was another motivating factor.

He was in the process of explaining his plans to Jillian for her to remain at the inn whilst he and Gimli proceed about their errands when Melva returned to the table to clear the dishes. "Don't you worry sirs; the lass will be just fine with me today."

He was a little hesitant at Melva's offer, but the woman had been nothing but generous and hospitable. Jillian was apparently amenable to the arrangements; he could sense the growing comfort she felt for the older woman. Besides, the women would be perfectly safe at the inn, and if Jillian became uncomfortable for any reason, she could go to the safety of their room.

Once he and Gimli had set out, it did not surprise Legolas to find Gimli casting off in the direction of street vendors that might have suitable snuff for his pipe. With an amused shake of his head, he set off towards the edge of the village, an air of seriousness settling over him as his attention focused towards the west.

As he had expected, the party of orcs was making its progress across the hilly horizon, though slightly north of the track his own party of three had taken yesterday. He frowned as he continued to survey their advancement. They were advancing with a more determined haste than before, and would be able to reach the village sometime in the night. He couldn't deny that it was a relief that the abominations did not appear to have the village, or its potential destruction, in mind. But what caused him far more worry was the unshakable feeling that something more sinister was brewing. The sooner he and his companions made it to Minas Tirith, the better.

He turned and made his way back towards the center of the village where the majority of the vendors congregated as it was the best place to meet up with Gimli. Winding his way through the numerous people, Legolas could not but help noticing Melva expertly navigating a path through the villagers as if the way was innately born into her own being. Trailing along closely behind her was Jillian, looking rather overwhelmed as she did her best to keep up with the older woman. Both of them carried baskets containing vegetables, roots, grains, meats and other items that likely were to contribute to the daily running of the inn.

It did slightly worry him that Jillian was out and about in a place she was clearly unfamiliar with, but seeing as how she had a more than capable guide his worry was also slightly abated. With one more glance at the women, Legolas resumed his task of finding Gimli and the items needed for travel.

He found Gimli not to long after; for once he found a vendor that specialized in ales and snuffs, his friend was predictably still there. And by the looks of it, sampling a far bit of the merchants wares.

Once he was able to pry Gimli away, they set about acquiring some food items that could easily be packed and stored without spoiling while traveling. An extra water pouch for Jillian had actually been Gimli's suggestion, and a watering pouch for the horses had been a necessity. A new bar of crude soap would prove beneficial for bathing and cleaning clothes.

On the way back to the inn, He and Gimli visited the stables where the horses were kept. It gave them the opportunity to see that the riding implements were fit for travel, and to ascertain that the horses' hooves needed tending after the past several tenuous days of travel. Gimli did not participate much in the care of the horses, seeing as how he did not have a particular affinity for the animals, nor any expertise in their handling. So the dwarf was quite content to sit aside and puff away at his pipe while Legolas tended to the horses with the help of a rather flabbergasted adolescent stable-hand assisted by seeing to the steeds' much needed grooming.

As they made their way from the stable back to the inn, they spotted Melva returning, but minus a very noticeable presence.

"Where is Jillian?" Legolas questioned as Gimli cast him an equally questioning glance.

"Ah," Melva appeared a bit exasperated, no doubt the armful of goods were weighing her down, "I sent her on ahead of me back to the inn. The poor lass looked to be tiring quickly."

Legolas nodded, a sense of relief washing away the anxiety that had begun to build. He deftly relieved Melva of some of her burden, giving Gimli a meaningful look indicating that he should offer his aid as well.

He and Gimli helped the inns-woman to the kitchen with her load of goods, receiving several round rolls of bread for their troubles. Jillian was not in sight in the main hall, and seeing as how Melva said the young woman was tired, she was probably resting in the room the three of them shared.

But when he and Gimli quietly entered the room, rather than finding Jillian nestled in the bed she claimed as hers, they found an empty room.

"She's not here." Gimli pointed out what was glaringly obvious to them both.

Legolas could feel the anxiety rush back full force as he tried to think of where she could possibly be. He was already certain that she was not in the main gathering hall, nor was she in the kitchens; both locations he had just been in and were absent said individual.

He could not imagine any reason for Jillian to venture back out into the village. He had seen her face; the daunted looked that expressed itself so clearly on her visage. Unless… she had never come back to the inn.

He rushed out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the inn, Gimli just at his heels. It was midday now, and the village was bustling with activity, which seemed even more compounded especially since his nerves were on alert and he was intent on finding their missing companion.

It dawned on him belatedly to send Gimli to search separately, and so the two of them proceeded in opposite directions to perhaps maximize their chances of finding Jillian sooner. With his eyes he scoured every nook and cranny of the village in search of the young woman, and his efforts were beginning to feel increasingly hopeless as he had passed Gimli a number of times. At first the dwarf would shake his head, but as the search went on all it took was a grim look from the dwarf to signify that he had no luck in finding their companion.

They had searched for several hours when it was silently agreed that they were not going to find her about the village. Gimli had raised a glimmer of hope that in one of their many circuits of the village, they had perhaps just missed Jillian as she made her way back to the inn. With that hope to propel them, they somewhat reluctantly abandoned their search and headed back to the inn.

Entering the inn, it was apparent that the evening meal was close at hand as a fair amount of customers had already begun to congregate after a hard day's labor. Melva's day was just coming into fruition as she hurried about between patrons and the kitchen. As she was making a pass to the kitchen with her arms full of emptied cups, she caught sight of him and Gimli and quickly made her way over to them. Legolas did not miss the look of concern on her face, even as it was hidden beneath a layer of work-induced exasperation, and frowned thinking that her look did not bode well.

"Good eve Melva." Legolas greeted the inns-woman. The question of how she faired that day lingered on the tip of his tongue, but remained there as Melva nodded her head in greeting.

"And too you as well. You've been looking for the lass I take it?"

He and Gimli exchanged wary glances. "Yes, has she returned?"

"Oh aye, she's returned. She's in the room you three share."

Legolas could hear the sigh of relief that escaped from Gimli as they received Melva's affirmation that Jillian was found and safe. But Melva spoke again, and what she said made chills run down Legolas' spine.

"As is the strange man that returned with her."

Legolas didn't waste a second to question Melva further. Instead he found his feet racing seemingly of their own accord through the inn, and up the stairs, Gimli's more audible pursuit registered distantly in his mind as he threw open the door to their room to find Jillian perched on her bed with a dark grey cloak wrapped about her shoulders, a startled expression on her face, and a very familiar person seated across from her in the chair he slept in the night before.

"Gandalf?"

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_To be continued… *insert wicked laugh*_

Wow! There was a lot going on in this chapter! I'd definitely know what you think. Please review :) I always greatly appreciate your feedback!

Next time: Gandalf joins the trio on their journey to Minas Tirith with some troubling news, Jillian is stunned by a revelation about the painting, and Legolas learns that women should probably wash their own clothing as they come upon the white city.


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